Foreign-Born Judge Blocks Voter Citizenship Checks, Proves Need for Rep. Mace's Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 24, 2026) - Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) is calling attention to a ruling by the U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, a Biden appointee born in Trinidad and Tobago who blocked the Trump Administration from using the federal SAVE database to verify voter citizenship data. 

Fox News also reported Sooknanan claimed she would renounce her Trinidad and Tobago citizenship, but it does not appear she has.

This is the perfect example of why Congresswoman Mace's recently proposed legislation is necessary.

Rep. Mace has introduced two joint resolutions proposing constitutional amendments to address this issue. The first requires Members of Congress, federal judges, and Senate-confirmed officers of the United States to be natural born citizens. The same standard is already set for the President and Vice President (Read more HERE). The second bars any individual holding citizenship, nationality, or allegiance to a foreign country from serving in Congress, on the federal bench, as President or Vice President, or in any Senate-confirmed role, unless they formally and permanently sever all foreign ties (Read more HERE).

"Time and time again, we've seen foreign-born judges prove they are not America First. Sparkle Sooknanan is just the latest example of why our legislation is needed," said Congresswoman Mace. "If you want to represent the American people, judge the American people, or lead the American people, your loyalty belongs to the American people only. The people making our laws and leading our government cannot have one foot in America and one foot in a foreign nation."

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