U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg of the Northern District of California became the second federal judge to rule against the Trump administration's decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. census on Wednesday.
Seeborg said that the question "threatens the very foundation of democratic system." Like many opponents of the addition, Seeborg views the citizenship question as a potential ploy for "distorting" congressional representation, as it could potentially alter the political power of urban areas with greater populations of immigrants.
The Trump administration has argued that the question would assist the Department of Justice in enforcing the Voting Rights Act.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A New York district judge already blocked the addition in January and the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case in expedited fashion, skipping the normal appeals process to make a ruling before the census forms are printed. Dozens of states, cities, and civil rights groups are suing the Trump administration over the inclusion of the question.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.