The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to halt counting efforts for the 2020 census.
The decision was released on Tuesday, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the only justice who dissented.
A lower court ordered that officials continue counting until the end of October. The administration then made an emergency request to the Supreme Court, asking for “immediate relief.” It argued that the shorter deadline was needed in order to deliver a count of the nation’s population to President Trump by Dec. 31.
The appeals process will now play out in a lower court.
The Census Bureau has already faced significant challenges getting an accurate assessment of the population because of the coronavirus pandemic. Even though a good chunk of the bureau’s data collection has been done by phone, mail, or online, some of its efforts still have to be conducted in person.
