Supreme Court expands April census arguments

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says it will try to resolve all the legal issues about a citizenship question on the 2020 census.

The justices last Friday said they are expanding their April 23 arguments to include whether asking about citizenship would violate the Constitution’s call for a once-a-decade count of all people, not just citizens. The court already was considering whether Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ decision to add a citizenship question is arbitrary and capricious under federal law.

The court is hearing the Trump administration’s appeal of a federal judge’s ruling in New York that the decision violated federal law. Since then, a judge in California said a citizenship question also would violate the Constitution.

A final answer about a citizenship question is needed soon to allow printing of the census questionnaire.