President Donald Trump said Friday morning that he’s “thinking about” using an executive order to force the citizenship question onto the census for 2020.
“We’re thinking about doing that. It’s one of the ways — we have four or five ways we can do it,” he said. “We’re thinking of doing it very seriously. We’re doing well on the census.”
Trump says he’s considering using an executive order for the census pic.twitter.com/zXl0cJDkcG
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) July 5, 2019
He also floated printing the document now, and adding an addendum should the question be approved later.
The Supreme Court recently handed down a decision blocking the administration from adding the question, though the court left the door open for the addition later if the government could figure out a better rationale for adding it, among other things.
It looked like the citizenship question was dead in the water for 2020, until Trump started issuing a series of tweets implying that he wanted the Justice Department to revive the fight, totally blindsiding many of his own lawyers.
A judge has asked the government to shed more light on what exactly is going on in this process — that information is supposed to come out later Friday.
How does “using an Executive Order” change anything, legally?
Is the idea here to openly defy an order from the Supreme Court?
I must’ve missed that part of the Constitution.
Where it said a President could ignore Supreme Court rulings with “an executive order”.
Who knew?
Makes perfect senses. Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead. More of their ‘creating realities’ and making the Dem’s study and adjust to that reality.
Is it legal? Only a prolonged court battle will tell. As usual, they’re working the refs - fuck the rules. Meanwhile the census is printed and the right wing wurlitzer screams “A waste of money to reprint this!”
I think that’s ‘one of the ways’ they’re looking at. It would be true to their form so far.
I’m not a lawyer. But they have to deal with the Md District Ct case—if they go forward discovery is certain to reveal the true motive; if they fold, why wouldn’t the plaintiffs seek an injunction particularly given the “end run around the Supreme Court” is all over the press. Can’t think of a more compelling reason to grant an injunction.
The Supreme Court case was different than the still pending District court case. If they find a way to do this, it would basically vitiate the APA, no?
The department of commerce is currently enjoined from printing a census form with a citizenship question. Anyone participating in doing so, down to the intern at the print shop, is subject to contempt of court, and all the legal costs of dealing with it. You know trump doesn’t have their backs.