President Donald Trump's commerce secretary could get hauled in front of a federal judge in New York to explain the motive behind a citizenship question that could discourage immigrants from participating in the 2020 census.
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman urged a government lawyer Friday to clear the schedule of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for a day so he can be asked why he wants to add the controversial citizenship question.
Furman gave the Commerce Department, which regulates the once-in-a-decade count, until Tuesday to file a letter to dissuade him from ordering a bench trial on a lawsuit on the question filed by more than a dozen cities and states, including New York.
Plaintiffs said the addition of the question _ "Is this person a citizen of the United States?" _ will discourage immigrants from participating, harm the count's accuracy and dilute political representation and federal dollars for states that tend to vote Democratic.
Furman has indicated that the lawsuits to be ultimately resolved in a higher court.
"I am mindful that my word is not likely to be the final one here," he said during a court hearing in July.
Immigration activists said they wanted to be sure that cities like New York are not cheated out of resources because of a bogus census count.
"I live in the East Village," said Christine Klauser, 56, who attended the hearing. "It's a really diverse neighborhood and I wouldn't want my neighbors not to get the resources they need."
Furman said a trial could start Nov. 5.
