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.
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.