Trump jumps into legal fray over 2020 census question
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said the nation’s 2020 census would be “meaningless” without the inclusion of a controversial citizenship question, wading into the legal fight over the nationwide count.
The Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 survey sparked a legal battle over whether the move violated the U.S. Constitution that has wound its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. population count is required by the Constitution every 10 years and provides a sweeping picture of the nation’s make-up. The survey’s results are used to help allocate seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and distribute federal funds.
A number of U.S. states and civil rights groups have challenged the administration’s question asking about respondents’ citizenship in court, and two judges have blocked its inclusion.
The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on the case on April 23 and will rule on the issue by the end of June.
Trump, in a tweet on Monday, criticized Democrats over issues surrounding “the all important Citizenship Question” and said the census would be a waste of government funding if the question was dropped.
Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Trott
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