Donald Trump might use Executive Order to add citizenship question to the census

  Last week the Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump had the authority to add a citizenship question to the census (and by the way the question was on the census until 2010 when Barack Obama had it removed) but because the court did not like the reason given for adding the question they would not allow it to be added.

 This convoluted explanation for not allowing the question despite the court’s acknowledgment of the President’s authority to do so is judicial activism at it best/worst, however it left the administration with little time to better explain itself in time to add the question to the census.

  Because of this we learned that the administration was going to leave the question off of the 2020 census and has begun printing it without the question. This was denied by Donald Trump and now we are learning that he is considering using his pen and his phone to add the question to the census using Executive Order. Here is more:

President Trump is considering an executive order to try to move forward with a citizenship question on the 2020 census, top sources tell Jonathan Swan and me.

• “We didn’t come this far just to throw in the towel,” said a senior administration official with direct knowledge of the conversations.

Administration lawyers are exploring various legal options.

• A senior legal source said: “The administration is considering the appropriateness of an executive order that would address the constitutional need for the citizenship question to be included in the 2020 census.”

• A source familiar with some of the administration’s internal deliberations said: “I think that there’s a good argument to be made that even though the president may lose in litigation at the end of the day, going through that process ultimately makes it clear that it’s the chief justice, and not the Executive Branch, that bears responsibility for that unfortunate outcome.”
• “If the president of the United States were to issue an executive order, supported by his full Article II powers, directing that the citizenship question be included in the 2020 census, I believe the Supreme Court would affirm the constitutional power of the president to include the citizenship question in the census.”

   How odd would it be for the Supreme Court to rule the President had the authority to use Executive Action to add the question to the census after denying the President from adding the question by claiming he did not explain himself well enough?

  Having defended the President’s authority to add the question to the census and having derided the Supreme Court for its activist decision I have to ask what the point of this whole exercise is and what does the administration think it is going to accomplish by adding the question other than appeasing its base? Is this even a fight worth fighting?

  Yes, in theory I understand why Donald Trump wants to add a citizenship to the census, and yes, I do think it makes sense but in reality what is the point? How many people who are here illegally are even going to receive the census? And of those who do receive the census how many are actually going to admit they are not here legally? As for getting a count of how may legal aliens and resident aliens are in the country, shouldn’t the government already know how many are here? Maybe I am just getting too cynical and too jaded but I see diminishing returns on this and I am tired of everything in Washington being done by Executive Order.

malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium