Census Bureau

A federal judge in New York said the commerce secretary's decision to add the controversial question to the 2020 census may have been "motivated at least in part by discriminatory animus."

The decision comes as the Census Bureau battles lawsuits over a new citizenship question and cybersecurity concerns about the 2020 census. The 2010 census committee's chair calls the move a "mistake."

Newly released documents show Wilbur Ross was "mystified" by delays in adding the question to the 2020 head count, just months after taking over the department, which oversees the Census Bureau.

The Trump administration has not yet responded to a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Census Bureau's policy of including unauthorized immigrants in population numbers used to distribute seats in Congress.

Emails and memos show Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross overruled Census Bureau concerns and was urged to exclude noncitizens from census numbers used to reallocate congressional seats.

The study found seven of the nation's fastest-growing cities are in Texas, with San Antonio expanding by the greatest number from 2016 to 2017.

Anyone who doesn't answer the controversial citizenship question would still be included in the upcoming U.S. headcount — and may get a phone call or follow-up visit, the Census Bureau's head says.

The city of San Jose, Calif., plus individuals from Maryland and Arizona, are suing to remove the controversial question. Some two dozen other cities and states are suing separately.

Officials from the Census Bureau and Commerce Department are set to testify in May about 2020 census which will ask if respondents are citizens, a question which has sparked lawsuits.