The Supreme Court has agreed to consider a dispute over evidence in a politically fraught case about the Trump administration’s plans to include a citizenship question in the 2020 Census.
The court said in an order Friday that it would hear arguments in the case Feb. 19.
More than a dozen states, cities, and organizations sued the Trump administration over its move to include the citizenship question on the 2020 census, arguing the Commerce Department acted unlawfully in doing so. Critics contend the question’s inclusion could deter broad swaths of people from participating who fear interaction with government agents — including noncitizens or friends and relatives of noncitizens. That could produce a lower overall count of people that could potential help Republicans and hurt Democrats.
The dispute headed toward the Supreme Court centers on evidence that could be heard in trial by a federal judge in New York. The proceedings in the lawsuit challenging the addition of the citizenship question began Nov. 5, and the trial is expected to wrap soon.
As part of discovery, litigants sought to depose Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and John Gore, the acting head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division.
The Supreme Court agreed to halt Ross’s deposition, in an order late last month, but allowed Gore’s to proceed.
In a separate order this month, the justices also rejected a request from the Justice Department to put the census trial on hold, which allowed it to proceed.
