As we know, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the Commerce Department’s edict to put that now famous, or infamous, question on the 2020 Census form: “is this person a citizen of the United States.” Although it was a bit of a fuzzy denial, based on the fact that the administration lied when it claimed they were on a tight deadline and the case had to skip straight to SCOTUS, and lied again when they said this had to be done to enforce the Voting Rights Act, it is, in fact, an intriguing case worthy of a “Law & Order” episode, filled with twists and turns and a smoking gun in the shape of a last-minute letter. At the forefront, as they are in so many legal battles these days, was the NYCLU. Two of the trial attorneys who fought in court from the beginning join In Focus this week. They walk us through the case, talk about how it started, the SCOTUS decision, why they believe the administration decided not to go forward, and why a ruling from the judge this past week drove the final nail into the coffin of the citizenship question. And they’ll also tell us why this was a case they knew they had to win, and how, though this legal fight has ended, they’ll continue to press to protect the rights of all New Yorkers.
The Fight to Stop the Citizenship Question
PUBLISHED July 21, 2019 @12:33 PM