USJudge in census case: New evidence alleging political motivation behind citizenship question 'raises a substantial issue'

© Shutterstock The Census Bureau will make its online questionnaires and phone interviews available in 13 languages during the 2020 Census.

In a blow to the Trump administration, a federal trial judge said Wednesday that he believes new evidence presented in a challenge to the 2020 census citizenship question "raises a substantial issue."

The decision could lead to reopening one of three federal trials into the citizenship question and lead to further examinations of Republican redistricting consultant Thomas Hofeller's role in developing the question.

Advocates say e-mails show that census question discriminates

Activists say the documents give a federal judge latitude to re-examine whether the commerce secretary intended to discriminate against minorities.

Fight Over Census Documents Centers on Motive for a Citizenship Question . The fight between Congress and President Trump over census documents revolves around one crucial issue : discerning the true motive of the Trump administration when it made a historic decision to ask all residents in the

Judge in census case : New evidence alleging political motivation behind citizenship question ' raises a substantial issue '. At trial, Hazel issued a split decision, blocking the question from appearing on the census but also finding the plaintiffs had not proven Ross' decision to add it was

Earlier this month, the ACLU and a team of lawyers at Arnold & Porter said that they had obtained a trove of documents from Hofeller, a deceased Republican redistricting expert who, they allege, played a significant role in the decision to add the question. Hofeller wrote a study in 2015 concluding that using "citizen voting age" population as the redistricting population base would be "advantageous to Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites."

The administration has always denied political motivation, saying instead that the Justice Department had determined that the question was necessary to better comply with federal voting rights law.

Judge George Hazel of the US District Court in Maryland disagreed with the government's arguments that Hofeller's files were "not material and it would not produce a new outcome."

Maryland judge says census question might have discriminatory motive

A U.S. judge says new evidence paints a "disturbing picture" that racial discrimination may be the motive behind the Trump administration's push to ask everyone in the country about citizenship status. Last week, U.S. District Judge George Hazel of Maryland ruled there's enough evidence to warrant reopening a case focused on whether a proposed 2020 census question violates minorities' rights. Federal judge in Maryland is third to block citizenship question on 2020 census » In a court filing, Hazel wrote that new evidence "potentially connects the dots between a discriminatory purpose" and a decision by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to ask the citizenship question.

Judge in census case : New evidence alleging political motivation behind citizenship question ' raises a substantial issue '. In a blow to the Trump administration, a federal trial judge said Wednesday that he believes new evidence presented in a challenge to the 2020 census citizenship

A federal judge in Maryland ruled Wednesday that new evidence in the case of a 2020 census citizenship question warrants further consideration. U.S. District Judge George Hazel said that the evidence uncovered by the plaintiffs " raises a substantial issue " for reasons to be outlined later in a

His order allows the groups suing the government -- alleging the question was developed with discriminatory intent and amounted to an illegal conspiracy -- to ask an appeals court to remand the case to his lower court.

The original Maryland trial, like those in New York and California, resulted in orders blocking the question from appearing on the census.

But the judge in Maryland ruled the plaintiffs had not proved that the government acted with discriminatory intent when in adding the question. Like in the other trials, Hazel said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' motives were unclear.

Plaintiffs believe the new evidence could sway that aspect in their favor.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on two other cases challenging the citizenship question. Plaintiffs in the Maryland case note that their case brings up issues that were not discussed in the cases heard in New York or California, and believe their challenge may proceed separately from matters before the Supreme Court.