Baghdad: A U.S. federal appeals court has upheld a ban preventing the Trump administration from using a federal immigration database to verify citizenship records on state voter rolls. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit refused to lift a lower court’s injunction against utilizing the Department of Homeland Security’s “Systematic Verification of Aliens for Benefits” database.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the previous ruling prohibited the government from employing this system before the upcoming November 3 midterm elections. These elections are critical as Republicans endeavor to maintain their slim majorities in both houses of Congress. Chief Justice Sri Srinivasan and U.S. Circuit Judge Robert Wilkins, both appointed by former President Barack Obama, affirmed the lower court’s decision, citing violations of the Social Security Act due to the sharing of personal information of millions of Americans.

The appeals court judges expressed concerns about the potential inaccuracies in citizenship information, which could compel individuals to prove their citizenship to remain registered to vote. This could even lead to deregistration in some cases. U.S. District Judge Gregory Katsas, appointed by Trump, dissented from the majority opinion, highlighting the division in judicial perspectives on this matter.

In a related development in July, a Florida judge ordered the Department of Homeland Security to restore access to the database for four Republican-led states, following a previous nationwide block on its use. The ongoing legal battles reflect the contentious nature of voter registration and citizenship verification in the United States.