Case ??gment 26?1 Filed 06/21/18 Page 1 of 1
Qt.? UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
. The Secretary of Commerce
$7 Washington, DC. 20230

 

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Supplemental Memorandum by Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross
Regarding the Administrative Record in Census Litigation

This memorandum is intended to provide further background and context
regarding my March 26, 2018, memorandum concerning the reinstatement of a
citizenship question to the decennial census. Soon after my appointment as Secretary of
Commerce, I began considering various fundamental issues regarding the upcoming 2020
Census, including funding and content. Part of these considerations included whether to
reinstate a citizenship question, which other senior Administration of?cials had
previously raised. My staff and I thought reinstating a citizenship question could be
warranted, and we had various discussions with other governmental of?cials about
reinstating a citizenship question to the Census. As part of that deliberative process, my
staff and I consulted with Federal governmental components and inquired whether the
Department of Justice (DOJ) would support, and if so would request, inclusion of a
citizenship question as consistent with and useful for enforcement of the Voting
Rights Act.

Ultimately, on December 12, 2017, DOJ sent a letter formally requesting that the
Census Bureau reinstate on the 2020 Census questionnaire a question regarding
citizenship. My March 26, 2018, memorandum described the thorough assessment
process that the Department of Commerce conducted following receipt of the DOJ letter,
the evidence and arguments I considered, and the factors I weighed in making my
decision to include the citizenship question on the 2020 Census.

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Wilbur Ross
June 21, 2018

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