The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to bypass normal procedures and decide quickly about the status of a 2020 citizenship question on the Census.

Citing an emergency rule, Solicitor General Noel Francisco stated “the case is of such imperative public importance as to justify deviation from normal appellate practice and to require immediate determination in this Court.”

(WaPo) Last week, U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman of New York ordered the administration to stop its plans to add the question to the survey. Furman said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross broke a “veritable smorgasbord” of federal rules by overriding the advice of career officials who said including the citizenship question was likely to cut down the response rate and make the census less accurate. (more)

The administration is informing the court the decision is needed by the end of June in order to meet the deadlines for printing the census reports.  The solicitor general is proposing arguments for April if the court accepts the urgency request.

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