“House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer released a 65-page memo detailing a sprawling investigation into Biden and some of his relatives, particularly his son Hunter Biden. Nowhere in the massive document was there a specific allegation of a crime committed by Biden or any of his relatives.”
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Conservatives on Supreme Court Appear Ready to Support Trump Effort to Count Less Immigrants in US Census

Trump Remade SCOTUS Into a Far Right Conservative Court. It Now Looks Ready to Allow Him to Harm Immigrants – and Democrats – Even More.
Conservatives are making great strides in disenfranchising immigrants and imposing a stranglehold on America’s electoral system with the implicit goal of ensuring Republican majorities despite the actual number of Democrats across the country.
Here’s how it works.
First, convince the U.S. Supreme Court to gut the Voting Rights Act.
Check. Completed in 2013.
Once that was done, Republican-majority states across the country enacted harsh voter ID laws and gerrymandered congressional districts to ensure fewer lower-income residents and fewer people of color – who historically vote in larger numbers for Democrats – were able to vote, or have their votes “count.”
These pie charts perfectly illustrate what’s going on:
This effort to maintain control of the state’s courts is the WI GOP’s last ditch effort to protect their gerrymander, which is horrendous by the way. This election, Democrats won 53% of the popular vote in Wisconsin but will only control 36% of the state legislative seats. 6/ pic.twitter.com/Ty1s6mNeW3
— Jiggy Athilingam (@jiggy_ca) December 2, 2018
And now, the Trump administration’s attacks on immigrants just appears to have won a major – and some say, unconstitutional – battle.
Despite having lied to Congress, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross appears to have been successful in achieving President Trump’s wish to add a citizenship question to the U.S. Census. The Commerce Dept. is in charge of the census.
Opponents of the question, which has never before been added to the constitutionally-mandated census taken every 10 years, rightly say it will scare immigrants from filling out the census, thus undercounting them.
Remember, the Constitution mandates every person – not just every citizen –shall be counted.
Given the Trump administration’s harsh roundups, detentions, and deportations of immigrants, why would anyone want to risk the thinly veiled threat that question poses?
Tuesday the U.S Supreme Court heard arguments about adding the citizenship question to the 2020 census, which is sent to every household in the country.
“Conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared sympathetic toward a bid by President Donald Trump’s administration to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, a plan opponents have called a Republican effort to deter immigrants from taking part in the population count,” Reuters reports.
Attempts to add the question were blocked by lower courts, so the Trump administration, as it repeatedly does, asked the Supreme Court to weigh in.
“Opponents have said inclusion of the question would cause a sizeable undercount by frightening immigrant households and Latinos from filling out the census,” Reuters adds, “fearful that the information would be shared with law enforcement. This would cost Democratic-leaning areas electoral representation in Congress and federal aid, benefiting Republican-leaning parts of the country, they said.”
Opponents are correct.
Experts are weighing in on today’s SCOTUS hearing:
Former U.S. Attorney:
Census data determines how voting districts are drawn, allocation of health care & education resources & plans for infrastructure. This is an important case-part of the Trump administration’s plan to harm immigrants & communities that support them. We should all pay attention. https://t.co/dPHvMGfyHa
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) April 23, 2019
Voting rights expert:
My quick takeaway from oral arguments in census case: same conservative justices who gutted Voting Rights Act now claim citizenship question needed to better enforce Voting Rights Act. What a farce. 5-4 decision upholding citizenship q would have devastating impact on democracy
— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) April 23, 2019
Yesterday he warned:
Trump could rig American politics for next decade if SCOTUS upholds citizenship question on 2020 census. Would be as devastating to democracy as anything in Mueller report. Pay attention to oral arguments Tuesday https://t.co/FEBrVtZCrh
— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) April 22, 2019
Supreme Court reporter for The Washington Post:
Supreme Court’s ideological divide on full display as #scotus takes up Trump administration’s census citizenship question. The court’s conservative majority seemed open to deferring to Commerce Secretary’s decision to add question https://t.co/EVC3ikTuOj
— Robert Barnes (@scotusreporter) April 23, 2019
SCOTUS reporter for The Economist:
It will be rich when a 5-4 majority ignores all evidence of Wilbur Ross’s shenanigans re the citizenship question & turns around to overturn Auer (and eventually Chevron) deference to administrative agencies.
— Steven Mazie (@stevenmazie) April 23, 2019
RELATED STORIES:
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CLAIMS SHARING CENSUS INFORMATION UP FOR ‘DEBATE’
TRUMP HAS NOW POLITICIZED AND WEAPONIZED THE U.S. CENSUS
TRUMP GOT IDEA FOR CENSUS CITIZENSHIP QUESTION FROM ANTI-IMMIGRANT HATE GROUP ATTORNEY
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