WFB: The 2020 census can legally ask about respondents’ citizenship status, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday, but the Department of Commerce’s justification for adding the question was flimsy enough to require further review.
The ruling, which drew multiple concurrences and dissents, returns the case to a lower court for further review. This means that the Commerce Department may not be able to resolve the issue before the Census questionnaire is completed and distribution begins.
The case, Department of Commerce v. New York, was initiated following the news that the Trump administration intended to add a question to the next decennial census asking respondents if they or their family members were citizens of the United States.
The question is not new, but was asked on every decennial census between 1820 and 1950. It also has appeared on the long-form census — a lengthier version sent to a statistically representative subset of households — for decades. It is further routinely asked on the annual American Community Survey and the monthly Current Population Survey, both federal surveys that track key statistics about the United States.
Its previous appearance on more limited surveys notwithstanding, the proposed expansion of the question prompted concerns that it would discourage responses, especially among America’s estimated 10.5 million illegal immigrants. This could in turn reduce the number of respondents in some communities, districts, and states, thereby undercounting the population figures used to determine the allocation of seats in the House of Representative, federal funds, and other population-dependent issues.
A group of states led by New York asked the courts to block the addition of the census question. Lower courts sided with the states, which is how the case finally came in front of the Supremes in April. The resultant ruling — the last one of the Supreme Court’s term — was authored by Chief Justice John Roberts speaking variously for five, seven, and all nine members of the court. It has essentially five major conclusions, each of which commanded a different majority, some from opposite wings of the court. read more
Thank you BUSH!?!?@?#?&’
The supreme court has been politicized for a long time.
Why can’t they make a simple decision like “is the question “”Are you a citizen”” on a census document intended for CITIZENS constitutional”?
PS – put a Che image on sotomayor’s and kagan’s gowns.
When is Roberts going to have another seizure? Hopefully it will be career debilitating.
That graphic is MASSIVE LOL!
*punt*
Someone help me understand this and what I think I am seeing here.
Has this decision been made based on the perceived state of mind of those wanting to include the question included instead of on the provisions the law involved that otherwise would allow it?
Maybe I’m misunderstanding the decision.
…doesn’t matter…they’re Democrats, they’ll just lie anyway…the only reason they’re fighting it is to deny President Trump ANYTHING and EVERYTHING, just because they can…the Dem population won’t even answer questions about gender and race correctly or truthfully, so the “citizenship” one sure wouldn’t get a real answer anyway….the census form says there are penalties for lying, but I’m sure it has the same small print ALL our laws have at this point that says *except for Democrats…
The purpose of the Census is the enumeration of citizens for distribution of seats in the House (Article I, Section 2).
Specifically “persons” (excluding Indians who don’t pay taxes) – and since the purpose is the vote it can be assumed that “citizens” is implied (maybe even “citizens” who pay taxes or have taxes paid in their behalf – children, for instance).
The Census was never intended to be the Demographic monstrosity it has become – only a method to determine seats. Gerrymandering and other abuses have made the House largely a farce – an entrenchment of vipers and con-men (and women) and, of course, the Supremes won’t address that (the more important) issue.
That the Clowns in Black are even involved bodes ill for America – they will surely fuck up whatever they put their slimy hands on.
Common sense ain’t very common.
izlamo delenda est …
How many years will we be back stabbed by this closet homosexual?
It’s always 1 step forward and 2 back with the SC. And on top of this scurvy bastard we have a decrepit hag who refuses to draw her last breath.
Surely asking a simple question is freedom of speech? I guess they no longer support it.
The questionnaires need to go to the printers in early July. Trump should go ahead and print them with the citizenship question on them in anticipation of a favorable ruling when they go back to SCOTUS. If the Dems don’t like it, let THEM sue to delay the census.
The Supreme court is the easiest most grossly overpaid assignment in the world! What work do they really do? To do the job right only requires the ability to read and understand plain English (just how the Constitution was written) and to vote accordingly!
Any Tom, Dick, Igor or Mohammed can now come to America at election time, vote and go home. Stupid doesn’t begin to describe this.
What is the very purpose of the Census?!!!!!!?
It was specified from the begining.
It is to count the number of CITIZENS to apportion Representatives, benefits, services, yada, yada…
The elephant in the room is HOW MANY BODIES ARE HERE ILLEGALLY????
Don’t even do the f’in Census if you don’t intend to count the bodies of citizens (vs non-citizens)!
(sorry Tim, hadn’t read yours–but I’m pissed off)
Grossly overpaid is right. The clerks do the writing. This bs came about because some idiotic lawyer (and I don’t know who) wrote notes on how to change the blue states and turn them red by ensuring that only the citizens of the country were counted. I can only imagine how much of the southern border states actually have non citizens altering the electoral college with bs representation. As far as I’m concerned the census should be in English ONLY and you need to be a legal citizen to answer.
My wife sent the last census in before I had a chance to see it. Probably because I was so PO’d about the questions asked in the previous census. Threatened not to answer them. When she sent it in before I prevented it by hiding the form from her.
Questions such as: how many square feet in my house, how many years have I lived there, how many miles do I drive to work, my ancestral heritage, and many other questions that are none of their d. business.
The Constitution authorizes them to count how many people are living in the country – period. But citizenship status seems appropriate to me. Because only citizens should determine representation or size of government programs for a defined area, county, city, state, etc.
For 2010 Census Obama had the citizenship question removed when he went to short form (they just didn’t include it as a question). Why was that okay? Why isn’t it in preparing 2020 form the question can’t be added back? Because Obama can do anything he wants because he is black and any action against him is considered racist? Just put the question in the form and fu*K the courts. If they go after you then they will need to go after Obama.