ACLU Comment on Trump Threat to Reverse Course on Census


NEW YORK — One day after announcing it would move forward with printing the 2020 census without the citizenship question, the Trump administration is threatening to reverse course.

The Supreme Court last week blocked the question in a challenge brought by American Civil Liberties Union, New York Civil Liberties Union, and Arnold & Porter.

ACLU Voting Rights Project Director Dale Ho, who argued the Supreme Court case, had this reaction to Trump’s threat today:

“The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration’s effort to add a census citizenship question was illegal because it was based on a ‘contrived’ rationale. Despite that, and despite DOJ’s repeated statements that the census questionnaire cannot be changed after June 30, the administration is now examining whether it can concoct a ‘new rationale’ for its citizenship question. The answer is no, it cannot — at least not a legal one. Any attempt at an end run around the Supreme Court’s decision will be unsuccessful, and will be met swiftly in court.”

Case details: https://www.aclu.org/cases/new-york-immigration-coalition-v-united-states-department-commerce