US government files appeals notice after 2020 census ruling

NEW YORK (AP) — The Justice Department is appealing a New York judge's ruling stopping the Trump administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

A government lawyer filed a one-page notice of appeal today in Manhattan federal court.

The notice was forwarded to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which also sits in Manhattan.

Judge Jesse Furman said Tuesday that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross violated laws by acting in an "arbitrary and capricious" manner before announcing in March he would add the question.

Judge Furman concluded that lawsuits were accurate when they claimed the question would lead to an undercount of noncitizens, costing some states congressional representation and federal funding.

The judge also rejected Ross' claim the question was necessary to help the government enforce the Voting Rights Act.