The Supreme Court has agreed to rule on President Trump’s plan to remove millions of illegal aliens from the census count.
Removing non-citizens would dramatically alter the representation some states receive in the House of Representatives, which is based on population.
The Trump administration and his legal team argue that his plan is both constitutional and within his legal powers as president.
“As history, precedent, and structure indicate, the President need not treat all illegal aliens as ‘inhabitants’ of the States and thereby allow their defiance of federal law to distort the allocation of the people’s Representatives,” acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall wrote.
A ruling in Trump’s favor would likely disproportionately impact big Democratic states like New York, Texas and California — which are home to large populations of immigrants. California alone could potentially lose two or three seats if illegals are not counted in the 2020 census.
The decision by the high court sets up a post-Thanksgiving showdown and another high-profile case for the court’s newest member, Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
The entire question could be moot however as President Trump’s term winds down and the case and census data passes to the new administration of Joe Biden.
With Post wires