At Least Twelve States to Sue Trump Administration Over Census Citizenship Question

At least 12 states on Tuesday indicated that they would sue to prevent the Trump administration from adding a question about citizenship to the 2020 census, warning it would be unconstitutional and that fewer Americans would be counted, reports the New York Times . New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced he was spearheading a multistate lawsuit and officials in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington said they would join the effort. California filed a separate suit on Monday. "This ... will result in an undercount of the population and threaten federal funding for our state and cities," said Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. The Constitution mandates that every U.S. resident be counted, with the results used to redraw political boundaries and allocate federal grants and subsidies to where they are needed most. Critics have charged the administration of adding the question to lower the population tally in predominantly Democratic areas where more immigrants live, ahead of state and national redistricting in 2021. Schneiderman contended the act "will create an environment of fear and distrust in immigrant communities that would make impossible both an accurate census and the fair distribution of federal tax dollars." The administration said the question is needed to enforce the Voting Rights Act, a claim dismissed by critics.