On Wednesday a Federal judge said no to Trump's citizenship question on the 2020 census.
Not surprisingly a San Francisco-based district court judge in the Ninth Circuit said the question, "threatens the very foundation of our democratic system" because it would cause a significant under-count of immigrants and Latinos that could distort the distribution of congressional seats.
Huh? What the hell is he talking about?! This isn't a threat to Democracy. It's just an attempt to make an accurate assessment of who's in our country. Why is this even controversial?!
Judge Richard Seeborg made the ruling and he said the Commerce secretary's decision to add the question was arbitrary and capricious and would violate a constitutional requirement that the census accurately count the U.S. population.
Is there anything in the Constitution about census questions? Nope. This guy is full of it.
Seeborg said, "The record in this case has clearly established that including the citizenship question on the 2020 census is fundamentally counterproductive to the goal of obtaining accurate citizenship data about the public."
Seeborg is actually the second judge to declare the move illegal. The effect of his decision is limited.
A federal judge in New had also blocked the administration from adding the question to the population count that occurs every 10 years, and the U.S. Supreme Court last month agreed to review that decision.
Fortunately the Trump administration has a good chance of prevailing at the Supreme Court because justices appointed by Republican presidents hold a 5-4 majority. Of course Chief Justice John Roberts has repeatedly and publicly sought to present the court as nonpartisan so he's still something of a wild card. In other words, the fight isn't over yet.
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