Supreme Court puts off census decision

In a 6-3 ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court left the door open for the Trump administration to adjust the census data it submits to Congress to exclude estimated numbers of illegal immigrants. The decision does not demand Congress use that information when it apportions each state’s House delegation. The justices said they cannot rule on the fairness of the data until they see exactly how the White House put it together.

When will that happen? The Census Bureau is supposed to send the White House the tabulated census by Dec. 31, but it might be late this year. The clock is ticking for the Trump administration to wrap up the process if it wants Congress to accept its data before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Numerous immigrant advocacy groups have said they will sue again if necessary, and the Supreme Court could revisit the case later.

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report on what’s at stake in the census debate.