Supreme Federal Court

The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for states to use the federal SAVE database to verify the citizenship status of voters. The decision allows states to cross-check voter registration records against immigration data, a step several Republican-led states have sought as part of efforts to tighten election integrity rules. Critics argue the practice could disenfranchise eligible voters, while supporters say it safeguards the ballot.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine is running for re-election for the first time since she voted to confirm Supreme Court justices who went on to overturn federal abortion rights. Her role in shaping the court's conservative majority has become a central issue in the campaign, with abortion rights a mobilising topic for Maine voters and Democrats hoping to use it against her.

An activist in Louisiana is campaigning to strengthen Black voting power following a Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act. The decision has narrowed key protections, prompting civil rights advocates to pursue redistricting and registration efforts at the state level. Supporters see the work as a response to weakened federal safeguards, while the ruling continues to draw criticism from voting rights groups.

A federal appeals court has sided with Hawaii's requirement that gun permit applicants complete the process within a set window and submit to inspection mandates. The ruling keeps in place provisions that gun rights advocates have challenged as burdensome, while state officials argue they are necessary for public safety. The decision is likely to fuel ongoing legal battles over the reach of Second Amendment protections following recent Supreme Court rulings on firearms rights.

The US Supreme Court has ruled on a case concerning a Department of Homeland Security voter database, and officials say the decision will have no bearing on California's 2026 general election. The ruling resolves a dispute over federal access to state voter records, but California's election procedures and voter rolls will continue unchanged for the upcoming contest.