Supreme Court blocks citizenship question from 2020 census

The Supreme Court rules in Department of Commerce v. New York on June 27, 2019, blocking the Trump administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census on the rationale the administration gave. Chief Justice John Roberts writes that the stated reason appears contrived. States and civil rights groups argue the question would depress responses from immigrant and Latino communities, affecting representation and federal funding. The Court leaves room for agencies to ask citizenship questions in theory but rejects this administrative record. Census design can shift political power and resources by changing who is counted.