WASHINGTON _ The Supreme Court agreed Friday to rule by this summer on the Trump administration's plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, dealing a potential political blow to states with large numbers of immigrants.
In a brief order, the justices granted a request from Trump's lawyers to bypass the appellate courts and decide the issue on a fast-track basis.
The court said it would hear the case of Department of Commerce v. New York in April.
If the conservative-leaning high court upholds Trump's plan, it could lead to a significant undercount of the population in areas with large numbers of immigrants, some experts warn. This in turn could cause a loss of political representation in Congress as well as billions in federal funds.
Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued that the high court needs to resolve the census dispute by June because the government is due to begin printing the forms to be mailed to all the households across the nation.
The legal dispute once again pits Trump against California, New York and other "blue states" that are home to large numbers of immigrants.
Data from the once-a-decade count is used to divide up political power and distribute federal funds. Political experts believe the citizenship question could drive down the population count in states like California, Texas, Florida, New York and Arizona.
Democratic officials and Latino activists accuse Trump of creating a climate of fear among immigrants, and they say millions of immigrant families may refuse to fill out the census forms if they are asked to name occupants who are not U.S. citizens.
The justices will review a ruling by a federal judge in New York who blocked the citizenship question on the grounds that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had ignored the advice of Census Bureau experts and nearly a decade's worth of planning. Judge Jesse Furman ruled Ross' decision was "arbitrary and capricious," and in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act.
But Francisco argued that Congress has given the Commerce secretary broad power to conduct the census "in such form and content as he may determine," quoting the words of the statute.
