Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Census workers outside Lincoln Center in New York. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images
A federal judge ruled late Thursday that the Trump administration could not end the 2020 census a month early.
Why it matters: The decision states that an early end — on Sept. 30, instead of Oct. 31 — would likely produce inaccuracies and thus impact political representation and government funding around the country.
- The judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction in the case.
- Experts believed that the shortened census, which was already delayed for months amid the coronavirus pandemic, would lead to undercounts nationwide, especially in low-income and remote areas that have been slower to respond.
The big picture: The administration had argued that the speedup was necessary in order to meet a Dec. 31 deadline that would have seen census data turned over to the federal government to begin processing congressional allocations.