NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Trump administration must face a lawsuit by states and advocacy groups over its plan to ask people who are filling out the 2020 census form whether they are U.S. citizens, a federal judge ruled on Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan denied the administration’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which is backed by 18 states and the District of Columbia.
“Today’s decision is a big win for New Yorkers and everyone across the country who cares about a fair and accurate census,” New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, who led the states in the lawsuit, said in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Commerce, which includes the Census Bureau, could not immediately be reached for comment.
A group of states and cities and several immigrant rights groups have sued to block the proposed question. They said it could lead to undercounting in states with large immigrant populations, jeopardizing their political representation and access to federal funds.
They said an “unprecedented level of anxiety in immigrant communities” under President Donald Trump, a Republican who has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, could deter noncitizens from responding to the census.
The Commerce Department said in March that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross decided to add the citizenship question after the Department of Justice requested it, in order to better enforce federal voting law.
The census, mandated by the U.S. Constitution, is conducted every 10 years and counts every resident in the United States.
It is used to determine the distribution of billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities and the allocation to states of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
All of the states involved in the lawsuit have Democratic attorneys general, and the cities have Democratic mayors. The United States Conference of Mayors, a bipartisan group, is also a plaintiff.
Furman said in Thursday’s decision that while Ross had the power to include the question, which was included in the census prior to 1960, he may have used it improperly. The judge also said his stated reason may have been “pretextual.”
Immigrant rights groups said the question violated the Constitution and was motivated by racial animus against Latinos and other immigrants.
Furman said that claim was “plausible” in light of Trump’s derogatory public statements about immigrants, including one referring to “these people from shithole countries” and another in which he described some immigrants as “animals.”
Census Shcemensis.
When I filled out the race question.
I selected ● Other.
Then I wrote in..
Annunaki….
Haaaaa..
Fkng MoRons.
It is better to leave a question unanswered than to give false information.
Its better to fk with people that deserve it b4 you die.
I’m a peaceful man.
But I’m from the streets too.
Blackzilla…!!!
Evidently your on the grid.
Fk the census .
Next time I’m gonna say I have 100 russians and chinese living in my fkng house.
And their median income is 100k.
Now go fk yourself.
July 26, 2018
Why are people buying into this?
The census should have one question and one question only. How many people live here??
Harry NH
I’ll tell you why, Harry, because about 100 million people have invaded into our country and they are stealing what is ours. They have come here as a violation of law and they are going to f#@king leave. As the communists made every effort to hide who they are, I guess this is how we are going to have to find out. Either way, they are f#@king going. They cannot have what belongs to me and mine. They are a bunch of f#@king parasites and my question is, if you are an American national who is having your country stolen from you through international communist invasion, are you for it?
July 27, 2018
Henry; Just trying to read what the Constitution say’s. Census is for the purpose to apportion representatives to Congress. If it is not there (ask questions) you can’t do it. Census taker(s)
GPS every address, which they have no right or lawful duty to do.
I will answer only one question.
Immigration is a whole different issue, one purpose is to divide the people.
Harry NH
It is not just about the apportionment of representatives. The Constitution has been breached from any relevance. The census is being used to decide how much goodies go to each area. How many free Walmarts for the invaders.
This isn’t immigration, this is invasion. Body politics across this country are being subverted by foreign nationals.
Divide the people, my ass. We have a re-colonization force pushed across our borders by traitors within.
In fact, census, my ass. This is invasion.
And by the way, immigration is central, as these foreign alien invaders have absolutely no right, pretended or otherwise, to any kind of representation in my country.