The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in last week claiming the administration's rationale for adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census seemed "contrived." (Photo: @CensusCounts/Twitter)
Jul 05, 2019
In what one expert described as "an absurd filing," the Trump administration told a federal judge on Friday that the Justice and Commerce departments "have been asked to reevaluate all available options" for including a citizenship question on the 2020 census, an effort which was effectively blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court last week.
The Supreme Court temporarily prevented the inclusion of the question on the grounds that the alleged rationale for doing so appeared "contrived," a ruling which was cautiously welcomed by civil liberties and immigrant rights groups who accused the administration of attempting to rig the next national survey to create an electoral advantage for "Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites."
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Justice Department confirmed that the census would not include a citizenship question and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said that "the Census Bureau has started the process of printing the decennial questionnaires without the question."
However, hours after Trump tweeted Wednesday morning that reports of Commerce dropping its quest to add the question were "FAKE" and "we are absolutely moving forward," Maryland U.S. District Judge George Hazel ordered the administration to provide an official update to the court by 2pm Friday.
\u201cI can't overstate what a farce this is:\n\n3 days ago Trump admin says census forms will be printed without citizenship question\n\nThen Trump angrily tweets, DOJ reverses & says looking for "new rationale" to justify it, but still can't say what that is\n\nhttps://t.co/uIJm0KueDZ\u201d— Ari Berman (@Ari Berman) 1562351315
The deadline provoked the Justice Department's Friday filing (pdf)--which, as BuzzFeed's Zoe Tillman explained in a Twitter thread, is not definitive and means that for now the Census Bureau will proceed with printing the census forms without the question.
\u201cthe Supreme Ct took their representations at face value and totally skipped the ct of appeals. Now, they make a filing that doesn\u2019t even bother to explain how their past representations are consistent w what they are re-evaluating? \n\nWas 6/30 \u201ccontrived\u201d too?\u201d— Neal Katyal (@Neal Katyal) 1562350570
Noting that the filing reveals the Justice Department's "lawyers have been instructed to devise/fabricate a new reason for imposing a citizenship question," Kristen Clarke, head of the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said the development "marks a new low point for the federal government."
"This is complete politicization of DOJ's work being done to carry out the naked political and discriminatory goals of the White House," she added.
\u201cThis marks a new low point for the federal government. \n\nThis is complete politicization of DOJ's work being done to carry out the naked political and discriminatory goals of the White House.\n\nWe will continue fighting in our CA case. Americans deserve a fair #2020Census.\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1562352048
Summarizing the filing, Rick Hasen--a professor of law and political science at University of California, Irvine--tweeted: "This is par for the course with this administration: Sorry if we were acting with discriminatory intent before. Give us a do over and we'll do a better job hiding our real intent."
In response to the filing, voting rights expert Ari Berman reported for Mother Jones that "Hazel reopened discovery in a case looking at whether the administration added the question to intentionally discriminate against Hispanics, based on smoking-gun evidence, uncovered after the death of the GOP's longtime gerrymandering mastermind, Thomas Hofeller, showing that he had pushed for the question in order to draw new political districts that he said would be 'advantageous to Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites.'"
Hazel wrote in his court order, according toHuffPost, "Plaintiffs' remaining claims are based on the premise that the genesis of the citizenship question was steeped in discriminatory motive... Regardless of the justification defendants may now find for a 'new' decision, discovery related to the origins of the question will remain relevant."
The DOJ filing and Hazel's subsequent decision came after Trump told reporters earlier Friday that he was considering an executive order as one of "four or five" ways he believes the administration can force through the question.
\u201cTRUMP says he is \u201cthinking about doing\u201d an executive order to add a citizenship question to the census, says he has \u201cfour or five\u201d options.\u201d— JM Rieger (@JM Rieger) 1562185865
The president also told reporters Friday that the question is needed "for many reasons," but "number one, you need it for Congress. You need for Congress, for districting." Trump's statement contradicts the rationale the administration's lawyers argued in court (that the question was needed to improve enforcement of the Voting Rights Act) and seemed to reveal the administration's real intent behind the question is precisely what civil liberties and immigrant rights groups have charged all along.
As Popular Information founder Judd Legum put it, "This really gives up the game."
\u201cThis really gives up the game.\n\nRedrawing Congressional maps based on citizenship only was exactly why Thomas Hofeller, a political operative and expert in diluting minority voting rights, wanted the Q added \n\nhttps://t.co/97847BzuKK\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1562342411
Others concurred--including Washington Post political reporter Aaron Blake and Ashley Shapitl, a spokesperson for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) tweeted Friday that he was pleased Trump "has made it even harder now to include the citizenship question" on the next census.
"Drawing congressional districts based on 'citizens,' rather than 'persons,' is unconstitutional," Lieu added. "Trump has now stated the real reason, and that reason is unconstitutional."
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In what one expert described as "an absurd filing," the Trump administration told a federal judge on Friday that the Justice and Commerce departments "have been asked to reevaluate all available options" for including a citizenship question on the 2020 census, an effort which was effectively blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court last week.
The Supreme Court temporarily prevented the inclusion of the question on the grounds that the alleged rationale for doing so appeared "contrived," a ruling which was cautiously welcomed by civil liberties and immigrant rights groups who accused the administration of attempting to rig the next national survey to create an electoral advantage for "Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites."
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Justice Department confirmed that the census would not include a citizenship question and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said that "the Census Bureau has started the process of printing the decennial questionnaires without the question."
However, hours after Trump tweeted Wednesday morning that reports of Commerce dropping its quest to add the question were "FAKE" and "we are absolutely moving forward," Maryland U.S. District Judge George Hazel ordered the administration to provide an official update to the court by 2pm Friday.
\u201cI can't overstate what a farce this is:\n\n3 days ago Trump admin says census forms will be printed without citizenship question\n\nThen Trump angrily tweets, DOJ reverses & says looking for "new rationale" to justify it, but still can't say what that is\n\nhttps://t.co/uIJm0KueDZ\u201d— Ari Berman (@Ari Berman) 1562351315
The deadline provoked the Justice Department's Friday filing (pdf)--which, as BuzzFeed's Zoe Tillman explained in a Twitter thread, is not definitive and means that for now the Census Bureau will proceed with printing the census forms without the question.
\u201cthe Supreme Ct took their representations at face value and totally skipped the ct of appeals. Now, they make a filing that doesn\u2019t even bother to explain how their past representations are consistent w what they are re-evaluating? \n\nWas 6/30 \u201ccontrived\u201d too?\u201d— Neal Katyal (@Neal Katyal) 1562350570
Noting that the filing reveals the Justice Department's "lawyers have been instructed to devise/fabricate a new reason for imposing a citizenship question," Kristen Clarke, head of the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said the development "marks a new low point for the federal government."
"This is complete politicization of DOJ's work being done to carry out the naked political and discriminatory goals of the White House," she added.
\u201cThis marks a new low point for the federal government. \n\nThis is complete politicization of DOJ's work being done to carry out the naked political and discriminatory goals of the White House.\n\nWe will continue fighting in our CA case. Americans deserve a fair #2020Census.\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1562352048
Summarizing the filing, Rick Hasen--a professor of law and political science at University of California, Irvine--tweeted: "This is par for the course with this administration: Sorry if we were acting with discriminatory intent before. Give us a do over and we'll do a better job hiding our real intent."
In response to the filing, voting rights expert Ari Berman reported for Mother Jones that "Hazel reopened discovery in a case looking at whether the administration added the question to intentionally discriminate against Hispanics, based on smoking-gun evidence, uncovered after the death of the GOP's longtime gerrymandering mastermind, Thomas Hofeller, showing that he had pushed for the question in order to draw new political districts that he said would be 'advantageous to Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites.'"
Hazel wrote in his court order, according toHuffPost, "Plaintiffs' remaining claims are based on the premise that the genesis of the citizenship question was steeped in discriminatory motive... Regardless of the justification defendants may now find for a 'new' decision, discovery related to the origins of the question will remain relevant."
The DOJ filing and Hazel's subsequent decision came after Trump told reporters earlier Friday that he was considering an executive order as one of "four or five" ways he believes the administration can force through the question.
\u201cTRUMP says he is \u201cthinking about doing\u201d an executive order to add a citizenship question to the census, says he has \u201cfour or five\u201d options.\u201d— JM Rieger (@JM Rieger) 1562185865
The president also told reporters Friday that the question is needed "for many reasons," but "number one, you need it for Congress. You need for Congress, for districting." Trump's statement contradicts the rationale the administration's lawyers argued in court (that the question was needed to improve enforcement of the Voting Rights Act) and seemed to reveal the administration's real intent behind the question is precisely what civil liberties and immigrant rights groups have charged all along.
As Popular Information founder Judd Legum put it, "This really gives up the game."
\u201cThis really gives up the game.\n\nRedrawing Congressional maps based on citizenship only was exactly why Thomas Hofeller, a political operative and expert in diluting minority voting rights, wanted the Q added \n\nhttps://t.co/97847BzuKK\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1562342411
Others concurred--including Washington Post political reporter Aaron Blake and Ashley Shapitl, a spokesperson for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) tweeted Friday that he was pleased Trump "has made it even harder now to include the citizenship question" on the next census.
"Drawing congressional districts based on 'citizens,' rather than 'persons,' is unconstitutional," Lieu added. "Trump has now stated the real reason, and that reason is unconstitutional."
In what one expert described as "an absurd filing," the Trump administration told a federal judge on Friday that the Justice and Commerce departments "have been asked to reevaluate all available options" for including a citizenship question on the 2020 census, an effort which was effectively blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court last week.
The Supreme Court temporarily prevented the inclusion of the question on the grounds that the alleged rationale for doing so appeared "contrived," a ruling which was cautiously welcomed by civil liberties and immigrant rights groups who accused the administration of attempting to rig the next national survey to create an electoral advantage for "Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites."
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Justice Department confirmed that the census would not include a citizenship question and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said that "the Census Bureau has started the process of printing the decennial questionnaires without the question."
However, hours after Trump tweeted Wednesday morning that reports of Commerce dropping its quest to add the question were "FAKE" and "we are absolutely moving forward," Maryland U.S. District Judge George Hazel ordered the administration to provide an official update to the court by 2pm Friday.
\u201cI can't overstate what a farce this is:\n\n3 days ago Trump admin says census forms will be printed without citizenship question\n\nThen Trump angrily tweets, DOJ reverses & says looking for "new rationale" to justify it, but still can't say what that is\n\nhttps://t.co/uIJm0KueDZ\u201d— Ari Berman (@Ari Berman) 1562351315
The deadline provoked the Justice Department's Friday filing (pdf)--which, as BuzzFeed's Zoe Tillman explained in a Twitter thread, is not definitive and means that for now the Census Bureau will proceed with printing the census forms without the question.
\u201cthe Supreme Ct took their representations at face value and totally skipped the ct of appeals. Now, they make a filing that doesn\u2019t even bother to explain how their past representations are consistent w what they are re-evaluating? \n\nWas 6/30 \u201ccontrived\u201d too?\u201d— Neal Katyal (@Neal Katyal) 1562350570
Noting that the filing reveals the Justice Department's "lawyers have been instructed to devise/fabricate a new reason for imposing a citizenship question," Kristen Clarke, head of the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said the development "marks a new low point for the federal government."
"This is complete politicization of DOJ's work being done to carry out the naked political and discriminatory goals of the White House," she added.
\u201cThis marks a new low point for the federal government. \n\nThis is complete politicization of DOJ's work being done to carry out the naked political and discriminatory goals of the White House.\n\nWe will continue fighting in our CA case. Americans deserve a fair #2020Census.\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1562352048
Summarizing the filing, Rick Hasen--a professor of law and political science at University of California, Irvine--tweeted: "This is par for the course with this administration: Sorry if we were acting with discriminatory intent before. Give us a do over and we'll do a better job hiding our real intent."
In response to the filing, voting rights expert Ari Berman reported for Mother Jones that "Hazel reopened discovery in a case looking at whether the administration added the question to intentionally discriminate against Hispanics, based on smoking-gun evidence, uncovered after the death of the GOP's longtime gerrymandering mastermind, Thomas Hofeller, showing that he had pushed for the question in order to draw new political districts that he said would be 'advantageous to Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites.'"
Hazel wrote in his court order, according toHuffPost, "Plaintiffs' remaining claims are based on the premise that the genesis of the citizenship question was steeped in discriminatory motive... Regardless of the justification defendants may now find for a 'new' decision, discovery related to the origins of the question will remain relevant."
The DOJ filing and Hazel's subsequent decision came after Trump told reporters earlier Friday that he was considering an executive order as one of "four or five" ways he believes the administration can force through the question.
\u201cTRUMP says he is \u201cthinking about doing\u201d an executive order to add a citizenship question to the census, says he has \u201cfour or five\u201d options.\u201d— JM Rieger (@JM Rieger) 1562185865
The president also told reporters Friday that the question is needed "for many reasons," but "number one, you need it for Congress. You need for Congress, for districting." Trump's statement contradicts the rationale the administration's lawyers argued in court (that the question was needed to improve enforcement of the Voting Rights Act) and seemed to reveal the administration's real intent behind the question is precisely what civil liberties and immigrant rights groups have charged all along.
As Popular Information founder Judd Legum put it, "This really gives up the game."
\u201cThis really gives up the game.\n\nRedrawing Congressional maps based on citizenship only was exactly why Thomas Hofeller, a political operative and expert in diluting minority voting rights, wanted the Q added \n\nhttps://t.co/97847BzuKK\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1562342411
Others concurred--including Washington Post political reporter Aaron Blake and Ashley Shapitl, a spokesperson for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) tweeted Friday that he was pleased Trump "has made it even harder now to include the citizenship question" on the next census.
"Drawing congressional districts based on 'citizens,' rather than 'persons,' is unconstitutional," Lieu added. "Trump has now stated the real reason, and that reason is unconstitutional."
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