Federal Judge Reprimands Census Bureau for Violating its Restraining Order

Federal Judge Reprimands Census Bureau for Violating its Restraining Order

By EditorOct 05, 2020
On Sept. 24th the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction that enjoins the U.S. Census Bureau from ending its counting operations on September 30, extending the time to Oct 31. On the afternoon of Sept. 28th, despite that court order, the Census Bureau tweeted (see below) that it would be ending field operations on Oct. 5th. Chaos ensued. In a new order issued by the district court on Oct 1, the court clarifies its original order and reprimands administration officials for " further undermining trust in the Bureau and its partners, sowing more…
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Monthly Redistricting Update: September

Monthly Redistricting Update: September

By EditorOct 01, 2020
Its October 1st and here is what happened on the redistricting front in September. The big news has been the litigation surrounding the census's operations and how the data will be presented. Open questions abound. Will the apportionment numbers include or exclude undocumented noncitizens? When will counting operations end? Will the data be accurate? and even if it is accurate, will disclosure avoidance methods compromise accuracy for redistricting? Read the articles below if you missed any of this. News Federal Judge Orders Census Count to Continue Through Oct 31 A Look at the New Redistricting Process in New York Washington…
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Federal Judge Orders Census Count to Continue Through Oct 31

By EditorSep 25, 2020
A U.S. District Judge in the Northern District of California has issued a preliminary injunction that enjoins the U.S. Census Bureau from ending its counting operations on September 30. The order explains that the coalition of plaintiffs - headed by the National Urban League - are likely to succeed in the lawsuit and that shortening the timeframes for data collection and processing by half, necessitate the preliminary injunction. The administration is expected to appeal. Read the order here. While the Census Bureau had originally requested Congress to extend the statutory deadlines for apportionment data delivery to the President and redistricting…
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Restraining Order Halting Census Wind-down Operation is Extended by Judge

By EditorSep 21, 2020
On Thursday, a federal district court judge extended a temporary restraining order barring the Census Bureau from wrapping up its counting operations in order to deliver census results on its statutory time schedule. The plaintiffs in the case are asking the court to compel the Bureau to take more time to complete the nationwide count since it was delayed earlier this Spring due to Covid-19. Listen below to NPR's quick update on how and why this happened. NPR Morning Edition - Court Order Keeps Census In Limbo As Counting End Date Looms 9-17-20 In March, the Bureau had requested an…
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Watch: House Committee Holds Hearing on Census Timeline

Watch: House Committee Holds Hearing on Census Timeline

By EditorSep 13, 2020
On September 10, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing on the status of the Census Bureau's operations in light of Covid-19 delays and other challenges. The hearing was prompted by suspension of count operations in April due to Covid-19, a failed request for Congress to extend critical statutory deadlines for delivery of census data, and an abrupt pivot by the bureau to end its count operations early in an effort to meet the original deadlines for delivery of apportionment and redistricting data. https://youtu.be/c4OF6jQFfgc Witnesses include: J. Christopher Mihm, Managing Director, Strategic Issues Team, Government Accountability Office…
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Listen: 3 Minute Summary of Court Ruling on Trump Administrations Apportionment Count Method

Listen: 3 Minute Summary of Court Ruling on Trump Administrations Apportionment Count Method

By EditorSep 12, 2020
NPR's "All Things Considered" explains the recent New York federal district court ruling involving the apportionment count. It is one of several lawsuits seeking to enjoin the president from requiring the Census Bureau to report an estimate of the number of illegal immigrants in each state for the purpose of using that info to apportion House seats in the U.S. Congress. A presidential memorandum seeks to adjust state total population counts used for apportionment, to exclude residents who are in the country illegally. NPR - All Things Considered. Sept. 10, 2020 (link)
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Here’s the Status of the 2020 Census. So Far . . .

Here’s the Status of the 2020 Census. So Far . . .

By EditorSep 12, 2020
Need a quick explanation on whats going on with the census? wondering if it will be delayed, extended or or cut short? Listen to Jeffrey Wice, an adjunct professor and senior fellow at New York Law School and head of the school’s New York Census and Redistricting Institute - explain what we know up to this point. But remember, things may be changing as you read this. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2020/09/09/census-count-update#
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Panel Discusses Election Administration, Redistricting and Campaign Finance

Panel Discusses Election Administration, Redistricting and Campaign Finance

By EditorFeb 06, 2019
On Thursday, January 31, a panel of professors and activists met to discuss the state of the American election system. Here is the description provided by the Hammer Forum of UCLA: . "The 2018 midterm elections revealed egregious voter suppression tactics and mismanagement of polling places but also slate of new reforms that eliminate barriers to voting for many Americans. Kathay Feng, California Common Cause executive director; Franita Tolson, USC Gould School of Law professor; Justin Levitt, Loyola Law School professor; and Michael Morley, Florida State University law professor, discuss the future of voting rights and election laws with moderator Rick Hasen, UC Irvine…
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Redistricting Reform Advocates Strategize at Gerrymandering Summit

Redistricting Reform Advocates Strategize at Gerrymandering Summit

By EditorJan 22, 2019
The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy hosted the "Terminate Gerrymandering Summit and Fair Maps Incubator " Conference earlier this month as part of an effort to take advantage of the momentum that independent redistricting commission movements have created across the country with several states passing ballot initiatives to create "California Style" commissions. . The project is the brainchild of former CA governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The institute on campus that bears his name hosted this event at which he was the keynote speaker. Schwarzenegger explains that he wants to "accelerate the fight, bringing together those who’ve won nonpartisan redistricting…
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Federal Court Rejects a Citizenship Question for the 2020 Census

Federal Court Rejects a Citizenship Question for the 2020 Census

By EditorJan 15, 2019
A New York federal district court has rejected the administration's bid to place a citizenship question on the upcoming 2020 census. The U.S. Department of Commerce, which is the main defendant in the lawsuit, will most likely appeal this decision but this just deepens the legal, financial and operational challenges that the Census Bureau must endure just under 15 months away from the 2020 census, the data from which, states and local governments will use to redraw electoral lines. NPR lists the possible effects that the current government shutdown and this lawsuit will have on census 2020 planning here. Read…
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