Census Bureau: Target could be met if not for court meddling
October 5, 2020 9:59AM AKDT
A Census 2020 form is seen Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, in Toksook Bay, Alaska. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Trump administration lawyers are telling appellate judges that the U.S. Census Bureau could meet a year-end deadline for turning in the numbers that determine how many congressional seats each state gets only if they overturn an order extending the 2020 census for another month. A panel of three judges on Monday are hearing arguments from Trump administration attorneys. They want the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to suspend U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh’s preliminary injunction that for the moment is allowing the head count of every U.S. resident to continue through October. Local governments and civil rights groups ending it early will leave minorities uncounted.
