A federal judge appointed by former President Joe Biden has ruled against a Trump administration effort to strengthen voter eligibility verification using federal citizenship records, as reported by Townhall.

U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan issued a decision blocking an election integrity initiative that would have allowed citizenship verification through data maintained by the Social Security Administration.

BREAKING: Biden-appointed judge Sparkle Sooknanan, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago, just BLOCKED the Trump admin from using a social security database system to verify voter eligibility.

We have foreign judges telling us we can’t secure our electionsWhat are we even doing? pic.twitter.com/qdyj98Dlvp— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 22, 2026

The policy was being pursued by the Department of Homeland Security as part of a broader effort to update election security procedures.

The initiative centered on expanding the use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, commonly known as the SAVE system.

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Under the proposal, election officials would have access to a searchable citizenship verification database linked to Social Security records, allowing them to confirm citizenship status when evaluating voter eligibility.

Supporters of the measure argued that the system would provide election administrators with an additional tool to verify that only eligible citizens are registered to vote.

The proposal was part of a wider election integrity agenda pursued by the Trump administration.

Sooknanan, however, concluded that the policy violated privacy protections for American citizens.

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In her ruling, the judge wrote, "All in all, the federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote. This Court cannot stand idly by while that happens."

The decision immediately drew criticism from administration officials and supporters of the election integrity proposal.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller responded to the ruling on social media, writing, "Judge Sparkle decrees that America belongs to any random alien on planet earth, just like our founders intended."

Judge Sparkle decrees that America belongs to any random alien on planet earth, just like our founders intended. https://t.co/X8guI1Xrt6

— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) June 22, 2026

The ruling marks the latest high-profile case involving Sooknanan and the Trump administration's immigration and election policies.

Sooknanan was born in Trinidad and Tobago and later became a federal judge after being nominated by then-President Joe Biden.

Biden announced her nomination in February 2024, and the Senate confirmed her later that year by a 50-48 vote.

The judge previously ruled against a Trump administration immigration policy in September 2025 involving the removal of Guatemalan illegal immigrants.

That decision, along with the latest ruling on voter verification procedures, has drawn attention from critics who argue that federal courts have increasingly become involved in disputes over immigration enforcement and election administration.

The SAVE system has long been used by government agencies to verify immigration and citizenship status for various public benefits and programs.

The Trump administration's proposal would have expanded its application to election-related verification efforts through coordination with Social Security records.

The court's decision leaves the future of the initiative uncertain and could lead to further legal challenges as administration officials evaluate potential next steps.

The ruling also adds another chapter to the ongoing debate over election security, voter eligibility verification, and privacy protections.

While supporters of the administration's proposal contend that citizenship verification is a necessary safeguard for election integrity, opponents have argued that expanded access to federal databases raises privacy concerns.

For now, the federal court's ruling prevents implementation of the citizenship verification plan, setting up another legal and political battle over election administration as the debate over voter eligibility requirements continues nationwide.

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