California Sues Trump Administration Over 2020 Citizenship Question

California's Attorney General filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Trump administration's decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census arguing the move was unconstitutional.

Services including Homeland security funds, natural disaster preparation, highway resources and health care and emergency room services "would be jeopardized and our voice in government diminished if the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 count resulted in an undercount," said Attorney General Xavier Becerra in a statement. "Beyond its constitutional role in redistricting, a proper count conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau shapes our everyday lives. If the bureau is ill-prepared for the job or a count is faulty, every state, every neighborhood, faces the risk of losing its fair share of federal funding for its people and its taxpayers," he added.

The Trump administration had argued the citizenship question had become necessary to enforce the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The move also drew criticism from Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder.

"Constitution does not require citizenship question," Holder posted on Twitter. "This is purely political. Trump Administration is trying to rig the 2020 Census (to protect gerrymandering) by intimidating people. Don't be fooled-some states will unfairly lose funds and representation," he added.