White House census question on citizenship rejected again by Judge, Sec Ross asks for hearing delay

A federal judge has rejected the Trump administration’s decision to ask people about their citizenship on the 2020 census for the second time.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco, is similar to one in January by District Judge Jesse Furman in New York, who also concluded that adding the question if a person is a citizen of the U.S. would violate federal law.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the administration’s expedited appeal of the New York ruling on April 23, according to Forbes.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is asking House Democrats to delay a hearing on the Trump administration's decision to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census, arguing the agency needs more time to prepare for expected questions on the former investor’s financial entanglements.

Ross wants to voluntarily testify, but is asking for 6 more weeks so the hearing will be set for April 29th.

Ross is under fire for falsely claiming in a 2018 financial disclosure form to have sold his stake in BankUnited, an oversight the top government watchdog office in February ruled violated a federal ethics agreement. He previously promised to sell the shares within three months of his Senate confirmation in 2017.

Now, as the House Oversight Committee prepares to question Ross on the discrepancy at a March 14 hearing on the census, the agency is requesting additional time to prepare due to “limited resources, constrained personnel, timing, and the desire to be responsive.”

It’s clear the panel intends “to ask the Secretary questions about his personal finances and ethics obligations – topics that we did not anticipate nor expect to be covered in such detail,” Michael Platt, the assistant secretary for legislative and intergovernmental affairs, wrote in a letter to Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., on Tuesday.

The Commerce Department said it provided the committee roughly 5,700 pages of documents and plans to send another batch of 3,000 pages on Wednesday.

“We have expended hundreds of hours of staff time to satisfy your requests,” Platt wrote. “This should demonstrate that we take oversight responsibilities and obligations very seriously.”

A panel spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Apart from Ross’ investments, Democrats have raised alarm at the agency’s efforts to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census -- which goes to every U.S. household -- arguing that it would dissuade some families from responding and result in an inaccurate population count.

The Supreme Court is slated to hear arguments from both sides in April and previously promised to decide the case before it adjourns in June.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP

Ross previously said the question was included at the request of the Department of Justice.