Census Ruling a Victory for Equal Representation

Statement of Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn

Today’s District Court ruling is a victory for equal representation for every resident of the United States. Americans expect and deserve a fair and accurate census and the removal of the citizenship question will help ensure that occurs. The citizenship question would have driven down participation, resulting in undercounts that would have undermined the fundamental constitutional principal of equal representation.

Most shocking and disappointing is that all indications are that the question was added specifically to drive down participation by noncitizens for purely partisan political purposes. The court recognized and called out this effort to rig the census for political advantage as an affront to the Constitution.

To read the brief filed by Common Cause and former elected and appointed Republican officials, click here.