Trump Administration Appeals Census Extension

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Lawyers representing the federal government have appealed a judge’s decision to extend the 2020 Census count through October 31. The challenge was filed Friday morning in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, who ordered the extension Thursday night, expected the government to try to reverse her ruling.

“Go ahead and appeal me,” Judge Koh said in a hearing earlier this week.

The City of Los Angeles is one of the plaintiffs in the case, along with other local governments and non-profit organizations, who sued after the Trump administration abruptly moved the census deadline up to Sept. 30 several weeks ago.

City leaders have argued that L.A. stands to lose federal funding and political representation from a rushed census, because the majority of residents in L.A. County are considered hard-to-count. Only about two-thirds of the county's households have filled out their census questionnaires on their own so far.

In a press conference Friday morning, City Attorney Mike Feuer said he’s optimistic the judge's ruling will stand.

“Rarely have I seen a decision that is so thorough, so well documented, so meticulous, and so well reasoned,” Feuer said.

Local census advocates, like Alejandra Ramirez-Zarate with Advancement Project California, are tentatively celebrating the extension. At this point, she isn't publicizing the end-of-October deadline so as to avoid creating confusion if it changes again.

"We know that it could be overturned on appeal at any moment," Ramirez-Zarate said. "Everything is just so sensitive. We wouldn't want to put this out right now."

We Count LA, the broader coalition overseeing census outreach in the region, also expressed reservations in a written statement:

This story has been updated.

READ MORE:

• Court Orders Census Counting To Continue Through Oct. 31; Appeal Expected
• Census Explained: Why The Census Matters In LA

What's at stake for Southern California in the 2020 Census? Billions of dollars in federal funding for programs like Medi-Cal, for public education, even disaster planning. Political representation in Sacramento and D.C. A census undercount could cut critical resources in L.A. County, home to the largest hard-to-count population in the nation.

Census questionnaires can be filled out online on the 2020 Census website.