A Decade Of Implications At Stake, Supreme Court Hears Census Citizenship Question

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments Tuesday in a legal battle with lasting implications that could dramatically affect political representation and federal funding over the next decade. The justices are weighing whether or not to allow the Trump administration to add a question about U.S. citizenship status to forms for the upcoming 2020 census.

In multiple lawsuits brought by dozens of states, cities and other groups, three federal judges at U.S. district courts have issued rulings blocking the administration's plans for the question. It asks, "Is this person a citizen of the United States?"

All three judges — in New York, California and Maryland — ruled that Ross' decision to include the question violated procedures for adding new census questions under administrative law. The judges