Attorney General to Lead Multistate Lawsuit Against Federal Government Over Census Question

April 6th, 2018

On Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that he will lead a multistate lawsuit challenging the federal government’s decision to bring back a question asking about citizenship status in the 2020 Census “to preserve a fair and accurate Census.”

The Trump Administration announced on Monday that 2020 census will ask respondents whether they are United States citizen. 

Schneiderman said:

“A fair and accurate count of all people in America is one of the federal government’s most solemn constitutional obligations.  The Trump Administration’s reckless decision to suddenly abandon nearly 70 years of practice by demanding to know the citizenship status of each resident counted cuts to the heart of this sacred obligation — and will create an environment of fear and distrust in immigrant communities that would make impossible both an accurate Census and the fair distribution of federal tax dollars.”