Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

21 hours ago

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

21 hours ago

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

22 hours ago

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

23 hours ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

2 days ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

2 days ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

2 days ago
Court Blocks Census Citizenship Question. Is Trump Out of Time?
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
June 27, 2019

Share

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday maintained a hold on the Trump administration’s effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, and the question’s opponents say there’s no time to revisit the issue before next week’s scheduled start to the printing of census forms.
There was no word on whether the administration would continue pressing to add the question. The Census Bureau said in a brief statement only that the decision is “currently being reviewed.”
The American Civil Liberties Union’s Dale Ho, who argued against the citizenship question’s addition before the Supreme Court said “there really, really is not time” for the administration to revisit including the question.

Question’s Opponents Say it Targets Hispanics, Minorities

The Census Bureau’s own experts predict that millions of Hispanics and immigrants would go uncounted if the census asked everyone if he or she is an American citizen. And immigrant advocacy organizations and Democratic-led states, cities and counties argue the citizenship question is intended to discourage the participation of minorities, primarily Hispanics, who tend to support Democrats, from filling out census forms.

Portrait of Fresno Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula
“The inclusion of that question is unnecessary and could cripple the massive effort to attain a correct count in California. This is especially true in the 31st District that I represent, which is home to populations that are difficult to count, including immigrants, young children, and communities of color.” — Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula of Fresno
They argued to the Supreme Court they would get less federal money and fewer seats in Congress if the census asks about citizenship because people with noncitizens in their households would be less likely to fill out their census forms.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the court’s opinion in the census case, with the court’s four liberal justices joining him in the relevant part of the outcome. Roberts said the Trump administration’s explanation for wanting to add the question was “more of a distraction” than an explanation. And he said evidence showed that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross “was determined to reinstate a citizenship question from the time he entered office.”
Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) welcomed the high court’s decision.
“I am grateful that the U.S. Supreme Court has blocked the Trump administration’s move to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census,” Arambula said in a news release. “The inclusion of that question is unnecessary and could cripple the massive effort to attain a correct count in California. This is especially true in the 31st District that I represent, which is home to populations that are difficult to count, including immigrants, young children, and communities of color.
“Although this decision is a setback for the Trump administration, which has waged a constant assault on immigrant families, we must now wait as the legal process plays out.  And while we wait, we must continue and increase our efforts to count everyone.”
Democratic Rep. TJ Cox of Fresno said the court’s decision “proved the fight isn’t over yet.”
“We cannot allow this administration to sabotage the census for partisan, political purposes,” Cox said in a statement. “An inaccurate census would be devastating for the Central Valley, jeopardizing everything from economic development to health care to our communities’ representation in Congress.
“I’m committed to staying vigilant and will continue fighting future efforts that sabotage a fair and accurate census count.”

Citizenship Question Not Widely Used Since 1950

The court said Ross’ explanation that the question was being added to aid in enforcement of the Voting Rights Act doesn’t fit with the evidence. The Commerce Department oversees the Census Bureau. Roberts wrote there is “a significant mismatch between the decision the secretary made and the rationale he provided.”
It’s unclear whether the administration has time to provide a fuller account before the form must be printed.
Evidence uncovered since the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case in late April supports claims that the citizenship question is part of a broader Republican effort to accrue political power at the expense of minorities, the challengers say.
The Constitution requires a census count every 10 years. A question about citizenship had once been common, but it has not been widely asked since 1950.
At the moment, the question is part of a separate detailed annual sample of a small chunk of the population, the American Community Survey.
Ross decided in 2018 to add a citizenship question to the next census, over the advice of career officials at the Census Bureau. At the time, Ross said he was responding to a Justice Department request to ask about citizenship in order to improve enforcement of the federal Voting Rights Act.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Lemoore Farmers Fed Up With Lack of Representation on Groundwater Agency

DON'T MISS

‘Jenny from the Block’ Rescued After Camping Out by Calwa ATM

DON'T MISS

Tulare Officer Injured in Crash While Trying to Save Unresponsive Infant. Child Dies at Hospital

DON'T MISS

PBS Has a Future by Leaving the Past Behind: Opinion

DON'T MISS

Fresno Council Candidate Rassamni Says City Is Investigating Him Amid Allegations by Arias

DON'T MISS

Fresno First Responders Talk Person Down off Parking Garage Ledge

DON'T MISS

Oregon Schools Face Federal Probe Over Transgender Athletes

DON'T MISS

US Judge Reaffirms Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

DON'T MISS

White House Will Release $5.5 Billion for Schools, After Surprise Delay

DON'T MISS

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

UP NEXT

White House Will Release $5.5 Billion for Schools, After Surprise Delay

UP NEXT

US States to Get $608 Million From FEMA to Build Migrant Detention Centers

UP NEXT

Trump: Strong Dollar Sounds Good but ‘You Make a Hell of a Lot More’ With a Weaker One

UP NEXT

Trump Says US May Not Have a Negotiated Trade Deal With Canada

UP NEXT

Trump Says There Is a 50-50 Chance of Trade Deal With EU

UP NEXT

Amid Epstein Furor, Ghislaine Maxwell Seeks Relief From US Supreme Court

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

UP NEXT

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

UP NEXT

Michael Whatley, RNC Chair, to Run for Senate in North Carolina

UP NEXT

Video-Sharing App Vine Is Returning ‘in AI Form’, Musk Says

PBS Has a Future by Leaving the Past Behind: Opinion

16 hours ago

Fresno Council Candidate Rassamni Says City Is Investigating Him Amid Allegations by Arias

17 hours ago

Fresno First Responders Talk Person Down off Parking Garage Ledge

17 hours ago

Oregon Schools Face Federal Probe Over Transgender Athletes

18 hours ago

US Judge Reaffirms Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

18 hours ago

White House Will Release $5.5 Billion for Schools, After Surprise Delay

19 hours ago

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

19 hours ago

Gaza Running out of Specialized Food to Save Malnourished Children

20 hours ago

New Madera Bypass Project Aims to Ease Traffic on Highway 41 Near Tesoro Viejo

20 hours ago

Key Player in California’s Water Wars Embraces Controversial Newsom Plan

21 hours ago

Lemoore Farmers Fed Up With Lack of Representation on Groundwater Agency

Growers in northwestern Kings County are fed up with a lack of representation on their groundwater agency and what they say has been an exce...

47 minutes ago

South Fork Kings GSA
48 minutes ago

Lemoore Farmers Fed Up With Lack of Representation on Groundwater Agency

Shepherd-husky mix Jenny was rescued after spending days outside a Calwa ATM and is now safe, leash-trained, and ready for a new home. (Mell's Mutts)
52 minutes ago

‘Jenny from the Block’ Rescued After Camping Out by Calwa ATM

15 hours ago

Tulare Officer Injured in Crash While Trying to Save Unresponsive Infant. Child Dies at Hospital

Signs supporting NPR outside its headquarters in Washington on March 26, 2025. The Trump administration has accused NPR and PBS of using public funds to produce biased coverage and “left-wing propaganda.” (Eric Lee/The New York Times)
16 hours ago

PBS Has a Future by Leaving the Past Behind: Opinion

AJ Rassamni and Miguel Arias blackstone
17 hours ago

Fresno Council Candidate Rassamni Says City Is Investigating Him Amid Allegations by Arias

Fresno first responders spent over two hours safely rescuing a person in crisis from the edge of a downtown parking garage Friday, July 25, 2025,morning. (Fresno FD)
17 hours ago

Fresno First Responders Talk Person Down off Parking Garage Ledge

United States Department of Education logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. (Reuters File)
18 hours ago

Oregon Schools Face Federal Probe Over Transgender Athletes

President Donald Trump speaks to the media, after the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the power of federal judges by restricting their ability to grant broad legal relief in cases as the justices acted in a legal fight over President Donald Trump's bid to limit birthright citizenship, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025. (Reuters File)
18 hours ago

US Judge Reaffirms Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend