NAACP Lawsuit Targets the Trump Administration Over 2020 Census Preparation

The NAACP does not believe the Trump Administration intends to make an honest count of the country's minority populations when it comes time to perform the 2020 Census.

1 minute read

October 7, 2017, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


4th of July Parade

Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock

"The NAACP is suing the Trump administration over what it sees as inadequate preparation for the 2020 Census, a problem the civil-rights group claims is likely to lead to severe undercounting of minorities," reports Heather Long.

"In June, the NAACP filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain documents on the Census 2020 outreach, testing and hiring plans to ensure 'hard-to-count' populations fill in their forms," explains Long of the events that led up to the lawsuit. The Commerce Department's response, according to the NAACP, was "wholly inadequate."

The NAACP is hardly the first organization to raise the alarms about the potential for the 2020 Census to fail many of its responsibilities as dictated by the U.S. Constitution. Planetizen noted in May 2017 when the Census Bureau's director, John Thompson, quit, as well as the Government Accountability Office declared the 2020 Census at "high risk of failure."

Friday, October 6, 2017 in The Washington Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

White on-demand microtransit transit vehicle in Missouri.

Rural Missouri Transit Service Could Lose State Funding

OATS Transit offers low-cost rides to primarily elderly rural residents with little or no access to other transportation options.

30 minutes ago - The Daily Yonder

Entrance to subterranean Hollywood/Vine Metro station in Los Angeles, California surrounded by tall apartment buildings.

Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access

A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.

April 21 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Yellow roadside sign with extreme heat warning: "Danger - Extreme Conditions! - STOP - Do not hike Jun-Sep - HEAT KILLS"

Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills

Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.

April 21 - Nevada Current