Judge won’t throw out California suits over census question

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A federal judge has refused to throw out California lawsuits over Trump Administration plans to add a citizenship question to the U.S. census.
    
The judge in San Francisco rejected dismissal motions Friday against two lawsuits filed by the state of California and various local governments and groups.
    
Nearly two dozen states are suing the administration over a proposed question on the 2020 census asking whether respondents are U.S. citizens. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced the question this year.
    
Opponents argue it’s a deliberate attempt to scare off immigrants who aren’t citizens and keep them from being counted.
    
The census figures determine each state’s representation in Congress and billions of dollars in federal funding.
    
The government argued California has no right to challenge the census addition.
    
The judge disagreed.