WASHINGTON — June 27, 2019 — Today, the Supreme issued its decision in Commerce v. New York and remanded the decision to add an untested citizenship question to the 2020 Census questionnaire back to the agency. In response, Irma Esparza Diggs, Director of Federal Advocacy for the National League of Cities (NLC), released the following statement:
“Today’s ruling reaffirmed that block level citizenship data is unnecessary for Voting Rights Act enforcement and threw the fate of this question in doubt. The full truth is that citizenship question is untested, untimely and unnecessary across the board. While we celebrate today’s tentative victory, local leaders know there is still more work to be done to ensure our communities are fully counted next year.”
More information about NLC’s 2020 Census work and resources for city leaders can be found at www.nlc.org/census.
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The National League of Cities (NLC) is the voice of America’s cities, towns and villages, representing more than 200 million people across the country. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy and drive innovative solutions. Stay connected with NLC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.