Supreme Court Considers if U.S. Citzenship Status Question Should Be Allowed on 2020 Census.

Friday, February 15, 2019

Today, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments regarding the Trump Administration's desire to add a U.S. Citizenship question to the 2020 Census.

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court meets behind closed doors Friday to weigh a question that could shape the political power of California for the decade ahead.

At issue is the Trump administration's plan to ask all households for the first time since 1950 whether occupants are U.S. citizens.

Over the advice of census experts, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced last year he would add the citizenship question in order, he said, to "provide complete and accurate data" for the census.

For each person, the head of household will be asked, "Is this person a citizen of the United States?" The answer comes in one of five boxes to be checked:
(1) "Yes, born in the United States";
(2) "Yes, born in Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands or Northern Marianas";
(3) "Yes, born abroad to U.S. citizen parent or parents";
(4) "Yes, U.S. citizen by naturalization - Print year of naturalization"; or
(5) "No. Not a U.S. citizen."

The State of California (and probably other states with lots of illegal aliens) is fighting tooth-n-nail to keep that question off of the 2020 U.S. Census document.

State officials and Latino activists have been sounding the alarm, arguing that this single change to next year's census could have a broad and unforeseen impact.

If the Trump White House wanted to deal a political blow to California, "the most effective way to do it would be to promote an intentional undercount of the state in the 2020 census," said Arturo Vargas, chief executive of the National Association of Elected and Appointed Latino Officials in Los Angeles. "And I think that's precisely what's behind the adding of this question."

California would be hit especially hard, they said, because 28 percent of the state's households have a family member who is not a citizen.

Political scientists predicted in court testimony that California would lose billions in federal funds, and possibly as many as three seats in the House - and the same number of electoral votes - if the citizenship question is used next year.

MORE AT: pressfrom.info...

Is the purpose of the census to find out how many Americans live in the United States, or how many human beings live in the United States? If it is the latter, states shouldn't lose federal funds.

I would think that illegal aliens will NOT answer that Citizenship question truthfully anyway… Right?

-CareWeMust

a reply to: carewemust

I'll probably get flamed for this, but why would an illegal non-citizen out themselves by filling out a census with this question anyways?

Leave it off the census, lest we want data showing there's not a single illegal non-citizen in the country.

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
a reply to: carewemust

I'll probably get flamed for this, but why would an illegal non-citizen out themselves by filling out a census with this question anyways?

Leave it off the census, lest we want data showing there's not a single illegal non-citizen in the country.

How would the state of California (as an example) explain such a drop in legal residents if people just ignored the census though?

a reply to: carewemust

Don't they have to ask the citizenship question? If they don't how will Democrats know how many new voters they have?

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
a reply to: carewemust
I'll probably get flamed for this, but why would an illegal non-citizen out themselves by filling out a census with this question anyways?
Leave it off the census, lest we want data showing there's not a single illegal non-citizen in the country.

That is a eye-opening way to look at the ramifications of having this question on the census. Thanks!

originally posted by: Metallicus
a reply to: carewemust

Don't they have to ask the citizenship question? If they don't how will Democrats know how many new voters they have?

The linked-to article says the citizenship question hasn't been on the census since 1950.

a reply to: carewemust

Its called bait and switch.

Not too dissimilar to tactics used by X during 'campaign' Y, right before Z.

It was removed for a reason.

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
a reply to: carewemust

I'll probably get flamed for this, but why would an illegal non-citizen out themselves by filling out a census with this question anyways?

Leave it off the census, lest we want data showing there's not a single illegal non-citizen in the country.

Curious, does a false declaration of taxes paid per income negate the citizenship question, or is the IRS instructed to ignore such inconsistencies?

The data collected by the census determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives (a process called apportionment) and is also used to distribute billions in federal funds to local communities.

www.census.gov...

It's completely legal to ask.

If representation and money allocation is to be determined by the census.

Obviously. Those that ignore US LAW are not entitled to either representation or money.

Don't like it?

Too effing bad.

As mandated by the U.S. Constitution, our nation gets just one chance each decade to count its population.

originally posted by: carewemust

originally posted by: Metallicus
a reply to: carewemust

Don't they have to ask the citizenship question? If they don't how will Democrats know how many new voters they have?

The linked-to article says the citizenship question hasn't been on the census since 1950.

In 1950, the census showed that immigration population was down to 5.4% from 1910s 14.7%! They removed it then as inconsequential...but since 1960 are immigration population has soared back up and at 13% now.

Personally, I see no reason why they do not include it on the census. Would not a representative, city, state, or community be better able to assist their specific needs better? Immigrants vs US citizens have different concerns. Ignoring this fact simply hurts all of the communities and the nation as a whole. The question is not asking if you are an illegal immigrant...there are many immigrants who are here legally. Not sure why the democrats are so paranoid about such a question.

Edit add: Aha! I finally found the article where I gleaned that info provided above. Census Citizenship Question: 5 Arguments Against It - And Why They're Wrong

Definitely worth a read since it does quite well in detailing why the arguments against this question being asked really don't make sense.

Census in Canada asks that question. Actually it asks a few questions about your citizenship status.

Why wouldn't a census ask that question?

It is obvious why Democrats don't want the question on the census. If it is known how much of CA is illegal immigrants then one could call into question their representation in congress. How can you have congressional representation if most of your residents aren't even legal citizens? They might lose one or two congressional seats...

Representation by state is determine by census. It should be the count of US citizens hence the need to know citizenship.

What's the problem - oh yeah, the person will be known to be illegally entered in the US.

While at it, make it a crime to falsely claim citizenship on the census.

wrong link info from scotus blog on the matter and is just the formal court filing and whatnot

www.scotusblog.com...

Challengers urge justices to dismiss census case after district court ruling (Updated) UPDATE: On Friday, January 18, the Supreme Court announced that it had removed the case from the February argument calendar and suspended the briefing schedule “pending further order of this Court.” Although the justices will not hear oral argument in the case in February, today’s order does not foreclose the possibility that the case could be argued later in the term, at which point the justices could also potentially review the district court’s decision blocking the government from including the citizenship question on the 2020 census. On February 19, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral argument in U.S. Department of Commerce v. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, a dispute over evidence in a challenge to the Trump administration’s decision to reinstate a question about citizenship on the 2020 census. The justices agreed in November to review the case, but they also rejected the government’s request to put the trial in the case on hold. The district court went ahead with the trial, and on Tuesday it issued its decision, blocking the government from using the citizenship question on the census. On January 17, the challengers asked the justices to dismiss the case, telling them that the district court’s ruling “has fundamentally altered the circumstances that were present” when the Supreme Court granted review. The dispute arose in March 2018, when Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the 2020 census would include a question about citizenship. The government explained that including a citizenship question would help the Department of Justice better enforce federal voting-rights laws, but the decision drew a court challenge from a group of states, cities and counties, who argue that the question will discourage undocumented immigrants from responding to the census, skewing the results.

apparently it has been postponed hearing wise but will be eventually heard? that seems somewhat odd but who know really

California would lose possibly as many as three seats in the House - and the same number of electoral votes

and N.Y.
Chicago
etc.

I figure Dems stand to lose 20+ house seats and as many electoral votes nationwide.

not to mention the gerrymandering issue.

this also will bring to light the RBG issue (as in she's dead or a vegetable)

This is huge!!!!