(WAND) – The 2020 census will be done without a citizenship question President Donald Trump’s administration wanted to include.
A Department of Justice spokesperson told NBC News 2020 census forms will be printed without featuring the question, which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June to eliminate. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the four left-leaning court members in dismissing the question in a 5-4 vote.
Roberts argued the Trump administration needed better justification for changing the Census Bureau’s long-standing practice. He said its reasoning was “contrived” and didn’t appear to be the real reason for the change.
Opponents of the question say Republicans were trying to lower response rates in Democratic immigrant communities. President Trump took to Twitter to voice his opinion after the Supreme Court ruling.
.....United States Supreme Court is given additional information from which it can make a final and decisive decision on this very critical matter. Can anyone really believe that as a great Country, we are not able the ask whether or not someone is a Citizen. Only in America!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2019