Trump just threatened to delay the 2020 census

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

published 27 June 2019

Once again, President Trump wants to do what probably can't be done.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 decision to block the addition of a question of citizenship to the 2020 census. And seeing as Trump's administration had introduced the question in the first place, he certainly was not happy.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Trump's Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced the question's addition last year, sparking ongoing court battles over its inclusion. Critics said the question would depress Census participation by undocumented immigrants and decrease representation in traditionally Democratic areas — something a GOP operative also found in his research and reportedly shared with the Trump administration. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with liberal justices in Thursday's decision, writing a majority opinion in which he declared that the Trump administration's defense for adding the question "seems to have been contrived."

Explore More

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox