A Republican lawmaker is escalating his fight against a federal judge after filing articles of impeachment over a ruling that limited the Trump administration’s ability to access voter citizenship information.
Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) has moved to file articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, accusing the Biden-appointed judge of overstepping her authority after she blocked the Trump administration from accessing certain voter citizenship data.
Hamadeh announced the impeachment effort on X, arguing that Sooknanan’s ruling prevented Americans from knowing whether only U.S. citizens are participating in elections.
Hamadeh argued that the ruling prevented the administration from carrying out efforts to verify voter eligibility and said election officials and the public should have access to citizenship-related information.
“I’m filing articles of impeachment against ‘Judge’ Sparkle L. Sooknanan,” Hamadeh wrote. “Her power grab against President Trump cannot be tolerated.” He added, “We have the RIGHT to know that only AMERICANS are voting in our elections.”
The legal dispute stems from the administration’s attempt to use a federal voter information system to assist with citizenship verification efforts.
Sooknanan ruled against the move, citing concerns about privacy and potential effects on eligible voters.
The ruling came as part of a broader legal fight over the Trump administration’s efforts to expand election oversight and verify voter eligibility.
Supporters of the administration argue that citizenship verification is necessary to protect election integrity, while opponents have raised concerns about privacy protections and the possibility of eligible voters being affected by inaccurate data.
The impeachment effort comes after Sooknanan has issued several rulings involving Trump administration policies that have drawn criticism from Republicans.
Earlier in 2025, she ordered the reinstatement of a Federal Labor Relations Authority official after finding that the administration’s attempt to remove the official violated federal law, according to Politico.
Sooknanan also blocked the Trump administration from deporting a group of Guatemalan migrant children after issuing a temporary restraining order following a legal challenge, which Resist the Mainstream reported last year.
The case became another point of criticism from conservatives who argued that judges were limiting the administration’s ability to carry out its immigration policies.
More recently, Sooknanan ruled against the administration’s expanded use of the federal SAVE database, a system designed to help states verify voter citizenship information.
She found that the program raised concerns involving privacy protections and the potential removal of eligible voters from registration rolls.
Republicans have pointed to these decisions as examples of what they describe as judicial obstruction of Trump’s agenda, while supporters of the rulings argue that federal courts have a responsibility to review executive actions and determine whether they comply with existing law, according to the Washington Examiner.
Hamadeh’s impeachment filing adds to a growing Republican pushback against federal judges who have blocked parts of the Trump administration’s policies.
Multiple Trump initiatives involving immigration, executive authority, and government oversight have faced legal challenges since the president returned to office.
The impeachment effort is unlikely to immediately remove Sooknanan from the bench.
Federal judges can only be removed through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate, and judicial impeachments have historically been rare.
