Uber, Ben & Jerry’s Want In On Fight Against Trump’s Census Rule
Uber, Ben & Jerry’s Want In On Fight Against Trump’s Census Rule
(Bloomberg) -- Uber Technologies Inc., Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc. and 13 other companies are seeking to join a court fight against President Donald Trump’s order barring undocumented immigrants from being counted in the 2020 Census.
In a court filing, the companies say they have a strong interest in joining the case because they rely on accurate census data to “make a variety of decisions, including where to put new brick-and-mortar locations, how to market their products, and how to predict which products will be successful in a given market.”
They also cite a “broader interest in ensuring that the communities they serve receive needed federal support.” Census data is used to apportion congressional and legislative seats and to divvy up federal aid.
Trump’s order, signed July 21, instructs the Census Bureau to exclude “illegal aliens” from the apportionment base used to draw congressional districts.
Several states, cities and civil rights organizations have sued to block the order, which they say violates the clear language of the U.S. Constitution that requires the decennial census to count “the whole number of people in each state.”
Other companies seeking to join the fight are Casper Sleep Inc., Levi Strauss & Co., Postmates Inc. and Univision Communications Inc.
The case is State of New York v. Trump, 20-cv-05770, U.S. District Court of New York (Manhattan).
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.