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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, America First Legal (AFL), in partnership with Weber, Crabb & Wein, P.A., took another decisive step forward in its landmark lawsuit challenging the U.S. Census Bureau’s unlawful manipulation of the 2020 Census. Just days after announcing the addition of Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) as a plaintiff, AFL filed a motion for summary judgment, asking the court to grant judgment in favor of its clients.
Today’s filing marks a critical next step in AFL’s effort to ensure equal representation under the law. AFL’s motion for summary judgment explains in detail how the Census Bureau’s use of the “Group Quarters Method” and “Differential Privacy” schemes violated both the Constitution and federal law. Those methods led to the addition of approximately 2.5 million extra people to the population counts of certain states, particularly in the Northeast, causing states such as Florida to lose Representatives in Congress that they were entitled to. The law could not be clearer: Statistical sampling cannot be used when determining the population for congressional representation. AFL stands firm in its commitment to one simple principle: the law must mean what it says.
The lawsuit seeks several forms of relief, including declaring the 2020 Census unlawful, enjoining the U.S. Census Bureau from continuing to use unlawful methods in the 2030 Census (and beyond), and further requiring the Census Bureau to produce a new 2020 Census Report that does not rely on unlawful statistical methods. Producing a new report would correct the mistakes in congressional apportionment caused by the unlawful statistical methods. This would rebalance the number of Representatives allocated to each state so that they match the actual populations of the states.
“Today’s filing brings us one step closer to restoring integrity to one of the most fundamental building blocks of our Republic,” said Gene Hamilton, President of America First Legal. “The Census determines representation, funding, and political power. It must reflect real people, not statistical models or partisan manipulation. The law is clear, and we are confident the court will uphold it.”
America First Legal will continue its fight to protect election integrity and to oppose those who would manipulate the law for their own political gain. Democracy depends on faithful adherence to the Constitution’s requirement of actual enumeration. No American should ever have their voice quieted, or even silenced, because bureaucrats chose to betray the Constitution.
Read the motion for summary judgment here.
Read more about AFL’s effort to hold the U.S. Census Bureau accountable here.
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