Trial Likely on Census Citizenship Question

Trial Likely on Census Citizenship Question

SAN FRANCISCO —

California’s lawsuit against a Trump administration plan to add a citizenship question to the U.S. census appears headed for trial.

U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg on Friday rejected the administration’s request to throw out the lawsuit. He says the state had presented enough evidence to support its authority to challenge the plan.

Seeborg says there’s a dispute over whether the question would affect the final population count. The judge says other claims in the lawsuit also need to be resolved.

A trial is scheduled to start in January.

The Trump administration has said the U.S. Department of Justice requested a citizenship question to help enforce laws on voting rights. California says it could drive down participation.

An after-hours phone message left with the Justice Department wasn’t immediately returned.

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