The Latest: Opponents of citizenship question look to courts
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and the issue of adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census (all times local):
2:20 p.m.
Opponents of having a citizenship question on the 2020 census say they’ll return to court to fight President Donald Trump’s push to add the controversial query.
Trump is expected to announce new executive action Thursday, after last month’s Supreme Court ruling forbidding the administration from asking about citizenship, at least temporarily.
The American Civil Liberties Union’s Dale Ho says the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts are “unlawful.” The ACLU represents plaintiffs in the census case in New York.
The head of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Thomas Saenz, says census officials “cannot defy those court orders simply because Donald Trump wants them to do so.” The fund represents plaintiffs in Maryland.
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7:15 a.m.
President Donald Trump says he’ll hold a news conference Thursday to talk about the 2020 census and his push to include a question on citizenship.
A Supreme Court ruling barred the question for now. But Trump has said he may issue an executive order or memorandum to try to force the issue.
An executive order would not, by itself, override court rulings blocking the question. But such a move could give administration lawyers a new basis to try to convince federal courts the question could be included.
Trump tweeted Thursday he will hold the news conference following a White House social media summit.