NAACP spearheads suit to overhaul census

WASHINGTON >> The NAACP is spearheading a lawsuit filed Wednesday against the Census Bureau and President Donald Trump, saying the federal government is unprepared for the 2020 Census and that will lead to a massive undercounting of African-Americans.

The group wants a federal judge to oversee the Census Bureau’s plan to avoid an undercount for minority communities.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland contends that understaffing, inadequate funding and use of on-line forms will exacerbate historic undercounts for communities of color.

“As we continued to look at past undercounts and the Census Bureau’s preparations for 2020, we came to the conclusion we were witnessing a train wreck in the making,” said Bradford Berry, general counsel for the NAACP.

The decennial census is required by the Constitution and used to determine the number of seats each state has in the House, as well as how federal money is distributed to local communities.

Berry said his organization has been working with the Yale Law School Rule of Law Clinic on concerns about the 2020 Census.

Prince George’s County, Maryland, joined in the lawsuit. Its elected leaders said the county stands to lose critical federal funds and voting power if the 2020 Census takes place without major changes. Blacks make up a majority of the county’s population.

The 2010 Census undercounted 2.1 percent of the black population nationally and 1.5 percent of the Hispanic population, the Census Bureau estimates.