The Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to delay a trial over a controversial new question about citizenship on the 2020 Census.
Back in March, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross approved adding a question that asks census takers if they're citizens. The move prompted mass legal action, and critics say it will discourage undocumented immigrants and other non-citizens from participating in the census, leading to inaccurate population data.
The Justice Department now wants to halt that action, at least until the Supreme Court rules on its request to ban the plaintiffs from questioning Ross during the trial.
Lower courts rejected that request Friday, with one judge saying postponing the trial for an "indefinite duration" could make it "next to impossible" to come to a timely decision. The trial is currently set to start Nov. 5.
The trial is currently set to start Nov. 5.
