‘NOT SUITABLE’

SCOTUS Gives Trump Small Victory in Bid to Exclude Undocumented People From Census Count

The court tossed a challenge to the plan, deeming it “riddled with contingencies and speculation that impede judicial review.”

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday gave President Trump a small victory, tossing a challenge to the administration’s bid to exclude undocumented immigrants from the Census count. The court said the lawsuit—filed by a coalition of states and immigrant-rights groups—is “riddled with contingencies and speculation that impede judicial review.” “We express no view on the merits of the constitutional and related statutory claims presented,” the opinion reads. “We hold only that they are not suitable for adjudication at this time.” The ruling tosses a lower-court opinion that blocked Trump’s bid. The three liberal justices dissented, saying the administration’s efforts to remove undocumented people from the count is “unlawful.” “The plain meaning of the governing statutes, decades of historical practice, and uniform interpretations from all three branches of government demonstrate that aliens without lawful status cannot be excluded from the decennial Census solely on account of that status,” Justice Stephen Breyer wrote.

The issue may ultimately be moot because Census officials have indicated they may not have enough time to process responses and pull together the data on undocumented immigrants to allow Trump allies to redraw congressional lines before he leaves the White House in January.