Federal Judge Blocks DOJ's Nationwide Effort to Scrub Voter Rolls Using SAVE Database

U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan ruled on October 9, 2026, that the Department of Justice lacks statutory authority to demand unredacted voter rolls from states, cross-reference them against the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) immigration database, and pressure states to remove suspected non-citizens. The decision in Common Cause v. U.S. Department of Justice vacates the DOJ's "list maintenance project" policy under the Administrative Procedure Act, finding it exceeds authorities in the National Voter Registration Act, Civil Rights Act of 1960, and Help America Vote Act while risking disenfranchisement of eligible citizens due to documented inaccuracies in SAVE.

The ruling follows the DOJ's requests for voter data from 49 states and D.C., with at least 18 states complying voluntarily. It builds on Sooknanan's prior June 2026 decision blocking an expanded SAVE system, which the Supreme Court partially paused. Plaintiffs including Common Cause argued the initiative created an unauthorized national voter database and improperly shared sensitive data with contractors and DHS.

The DOJ, reviewing the order, has faced 26 losses in related state-level suits. Critics, including the ACLU, framed it as federal overreach into state election authority; supporters viewed it as necessary enforcement against ineligible voting. The court emphasized that states retain primary responsibility for voter roll maintenance.