Case Summary

On August 18, 2020, a coalition of civil rights groups, administrative regions and individuals filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Secretary of Commerce challenging the U.S. Census Bureau’s decision to shorten the timeline for 2020 Decennial Census operations due to the coronavirus pandemic as violating the constitutional and statutory obligations to conduct an accurate decennial census, citing an increased likelihood in inaccuracies. They sought declaratory and injunctive relief barring the Census Bureau from proceeding with the shortened timeline and requiring them to reimplement the previous, lengthened COVID-19 plan and timeline.

  • On September 24, 2020, the federal district court granted a preliminary injunction requiring the Bureau to continue collecting census responses past September 30 and invalidating the December 31, 2020, deadline for the release of congressional apportionment numbers. Defendants appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and sought an administrative stay the next day.
  • On October 7, 2020, the Ninth Circuit partially granted a stay allowing the census count to continue until October 31, 2020, but leaving the December 31, 2020, data release deadline in place. Defendants filed a motion for stay pending appeal from the U.S. Supreme Court the same day.
  • On October 13, 2020, SCOTUS reversed the Ninth Circuit and stayed the district court’s injunction entirely, thereby allowing the Census Bureau to cease their counting operations.
  • On April 22, 2021, the parties jointly stipulated to dismiss the case after reaching an agreement regarding the Bureau’s actions to be taken to ensure the accuracy of 2020 Census data. The district court dismissed the action that day.

Case Library

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division - 5:20-cv-05799

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit - No. 20-16868

Supreme Court of the United States - No. 20A62

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division - No. 5:20-cv-5799