The US Supreme Court on Friday allowed the trial over the 2020 census inclusion of a citizenship question to proceed, over the objection of the Trump administration.
The court issued a brief order rejecting the request of the Trump administration to stay the trial. The trial is set to start Monday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and is one of six similar cases throughout the country.
In October the Supreme Court blocked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s deposition but allowed Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore to give testimony. There have been inconsistencies in Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s testimony, leading lawmakers to request further investigation.
The government’s position is that the question is needed to better enforce the Voting Rights Act.
Critics of adding a citizenship question argue that the inclusion of the question on the census would further the current administration’s aim to reduce the electoral power and federal funding to states that have a high number of legal permanent residents and undocumented immigrants. The addition of the question would potentially undercut states where previously the democratic party has had more success.
