Saturday, August 8, 2020  
States: Stop Trump's District Drawing  08/08 10:12


   ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- A coalition of states, cities and civil rights groups 
on Friday asked a federal judge to declare as unconstitutional President Donald 
Trump's order seeking to exclude people in the country illegally from being 
part of the process for redrawing congressional districts.

   The coalition, led by New York state, in court papers asked U.S. District 
Judge Jesse Furman in New York to stop Trump's order from being implemented and 
declare that it violated the U.S. Constitution and laws governing the taking of 
the once-a-decade census.

   In the alternative, the coalition asked the judge to stop any action from 
being taken on the order until he can make a final ruling.

   Every resident of a state is traditionally counted during apportionment, but 
Trump last month issued a directive seeking to bar people in the U.S. illegally 
from being included in the headcount as congressional districts are redrawn. 
Trump said including them in the count "would create perverse incentives and 
undermine our system of government."

   At least a half dozen lawsuits have been filed seeking to halt the 
directive, but the New York case is the furthest along. Opponents say Trump's 
order is an effort to suppress the growing political power of Latinos in the 
U.S. and to discriminate against immigrant communities of color.

   Furman on Friday also granted the coalition's request for the case to be 
heard by a panel of three judges since the case involves questions about what 
is constitutional when it comes to redrawing congressional districts, the 
process known as apportionment. The case also requires a three-judge panel, 
Furman said, since it alleges that the Census Bureau would have to use 
statistical modeling to calculate how many people are living in the U.S. 
illegally, which is prohibited in calculating the population for apportionment.

   The move to a three-judge panel would allow the case to take a more direct 
path to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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