Justice Department

The commerce secretary has agreed to be questioned by lawmakers on March 14, after a federal judge ruled that his decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census was based on "sham" reasons.

The Justice Department has asked the court to decide whether the Trump administration can dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — without waiting for rulings from lower courts.

The Trump administration added a question about U.S. citizenship status that could undermine the quality of 2020 census information. Dozens of states and cities are suing to get the question removed.

In focus groups for the U.S. census, some participants identified the citizenship question as a significant reason why they would avoid taking part in the head count.

The first trial over the controversial question on the 2020 census is scheduled to start Nov. 5. But the Trump administration is now asking for a delay.

After receiving a Justice Department request for a new 2020 census question, the Census Bureau came up with another way to generate more accurate citizenship data. The DOJ refused to meet about it.

The administration is asking a lower court to block Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' deposition as it prepares to ask the Supreme Court to review the lawsuits over the 2020 census citizenship question.

A federal judge in New York has ordered Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to face questioning under oath over his decision to add a controversial citizenship question to the 2020 census.