A federal judge on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration's plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census questionnaire.
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan said the 18 U.S. states, 15 cities and various civil rights groups that challenged Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' addition of the question proved it was more likely than not that they would be harmed if it were added.
Furman also said Ross's decision to add the question was "arbitrary and capricious" and violated federal law, despite a lack of proof that the commerce secretary was motivated by discriminatory intent.
The Commerce Department and the White House were not immediately available for comment.
Ross had proposed reinstating the citizenship question last March 26, ostensibly at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice to better police potential voter discrimination.
Critics, however, said the question was intended to frighten immigrants into not being counted, and disproportionately harm Democratic-leaning communities by costing them political representation and billions of dollars of federal aid.
The administration has said using more precise citizenship data is needed to enforce federal voting rights laws.
Trump, a Republican, has pursued policies to limit legal and illegal immigration.
Furman ruled after a nonjury trial that ended in November.
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