Women’s march in Rockford hosts diverse group of speakers but smaller crowd

Women’s march in Rockford hosts diverse group of speakers but smaller crowd

By Kristen Zambo
Staff writer

Posted Jan 19, 2019 at 5:25 PMUpdated Jan 19, 2019 at 5:28 PM

ROCKFORD — Subzero wind chills and the hefty snowfall in the Rockford region resulted in a fraction of the turnout for Saturday’s Women’s March Rockford compared with the attendees the event has drawn during the two previous years, organizers said.

Chanting “women’s rights are human rights,” fewer than 300 people braved frigid temperatures to attend the noon march after a winter storm swept through the region Friday and into Saturday morning. An estimated 1,500 people attended last year’s Rockford march, up slightly from the more than 1,000 people who attended the inaugural march in 2017.

Monitors with the National Weather Service reported that 6.5 to 7.6 inches of snow fell on different portions of Rockford by 7 a.m. Saturday. Gusty winds throughout the day and plummeting temperatures created hazardous weather conditions, according to the weather service. Saturday’s high in Rockford was forecast for 16 degrees, but with the wind chill, it is felt like minus -9 degrees.

Organizers initially thought Rockford’s march would attract a larger crowd because Chicago’s march was canceled because of budget restrictions. That came on the heels of backlash against the national Women’s March organization amid allegations of anti-Semitism. During an event last year in Chicago, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan made comments about “powerful Jews” being his enemies and four of the national Women’s March organization’s co-chairs have ties to Farrakhan.

Organizers of the Rockford march took steps to distance themselves from the national organization and “made it clear we were including everybody,” said Ronit Golan, past president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Rockford. “I think we have to be welcoming to those diverse populations and I think this is a great start.”

With a little more than 270 people in attendance, the crowd still largely was comprised of white faces.

“To me it’s not a brown or black issue. It’s Woman’s Day,” said Leslie West, 42, of Rockford, who is black. “It’s important for everybody to come out. We have to exercise our voices.”

Above is from:  https://www.rrstar.com/news/20190119/womens-march-in-rockford-hosts-diverse-group-of-speakers-but-smaller-crowd

RRS: Kudos to Belvidere, Rockford on OK’ing land bank authority

Our View: Kudos to Belvidere, Rockford on OK’ing land bank authority

By The Editorial Board of Rockford Register Star

Posted at 8:00 AM

One of the biggest problems cities and counties have is what to do about dilapidated buildings. Big box stores close and slowly turn into rotting hulks like the former Circuit City and Magna stores, both on East State Street, Rockford’s premier shopping strip.

Residential and industrial areas, too, are vulnerable to deterioriation, and it takes only one rundown property on a block to signal to neighbors that it’s time to move. That starts a cycle of declining property values and declining equalized assessed valuation.

Now there’s a tool that local governments can use to speed the process of obtaining clear title to deteriorated properties with multiple legal strings attached to their ownership. It’s called a land bank. Land banks are relatively new to Illinois but quite common elsewhere.

According to the Region 1 Planning Council, which received a $225,000 land bank grant from the Illinois Housing Development Authority, “the most useful tool a land bank offers against blight is the ability to provide a clear title to new purchasers. Subject properties are typically those with large debts tied to the property and cannot be sold on the private market due to value-diminishing back taxes, or other liens and liabilities. Through a judicial deed process, the land bank may acquire abandoned property, then leverage its legal ability to clear the title, then find a new buyer for the property.”

Each year, Winnebago County has more than 1,000 properties that qualify as abandoned under state law. A land bank can acquire these properties and put them back on the market, ending the cycle of declining assessed valuations.

Not all the properties at the annual county tax sale are vacant and abandoned, says the Region 1 Planning Council. However, the 2017 tax sale featured 4,323 properties in Winnebago County, compared with 1,998 in Peoria County, 805 in Champaign County and 1,560 in Sangamon County. Clearly, Winnebago County has a major problem.

Here in northern Illinois, the city of Belvidere has taken the lead in approving the Northern Illinois Land Bank Authority. Mayor Mike Chamberlain and the Belvidere City Council are to be commended for their forward-thinking passage of this measure.

The city of Rockford followed in joining the land bank authority, and the Boone County Board has voted to join, although board Chairman Karl Johnson has not yet signed the measure.

The Rockord Area Association of Realtors has endorsed creation of the land bank, as has the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

We urge the Winnebago County Board to join the land bank and thereby create a truly regionwide effort to address blight and improve property values throughout Winnebago and Boone counties.

We note that the land bank authority will begin operating regardless of whether Winnebago County’s government joins or not. However, the county shares a jagged border with the city of Rockford, with neighborhoods that are partly in the city and partly out. To be as effective as possible, it’s better for the city and county to both be part of the land bank.

The land bank’s few opponents say the land bank is a back door attempt to bring home rule to Rockford. No, it isn’t. Home rule was defeated in a 2018 referendum, which echoed a 1983 referendum that ended home rule in the city.

Says the Region 1 Planning Council: “The city of Belvidere, as party to the intergovernmental agreement instituting the land bank, has home rule powers. The only home rule power that the land bank can utilize is related to the disposition of property. If not for home rule power, the land bank would be required to have a sealed bid process and commission an appraisal on the property to determine its value in relation to the sales price.”

The land bank can’t raise taxes and has no eminent domain authority.

Other communities have expressed interest in joining the land bank, and we can’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to join.

The good news: This will happen whether Winnebago County joins or not. It would be better for the county to join. Ending blighted neighborhoods, finding new uses for shopping districts with empty stores made redunant in the e-commerce era, and creatively reconfiguring old abandoned industrial buildings is in everyone’s interest.

The land bank is an exciting tool to do these things and return hundreds if not thousands of properties to the tax rolls, something that will lessen the individual tax burden of property owners who do take care of their properties.

Above is from:  https://www.rrstar.com/opinion/20190119/our-view-kudos-to-belvidere-rockford-on-oking--land-bank-authority

Congressmen kicked off Air Force plane at last minute

Insult?  This secret trip is no longer secret.

Travel ban: Trump postpones Pelosi trip abroad after she suggests he delay his State of the Union address

Jan. 17, 2019, 11:11 AM CST / Updated 5:34 PM CST

By Jonathan Allen, Allan Smith and Dartunorro Clark

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was canceling Speaker Nancy Pelosi's previously undisclosed trip to war-torn Afghanistan, telling the woman second in line to the presidency that she can't use a military jet but is welcome to fly commercially if she wants.

A U.S. Air Force bus loaded with lawmakers, including Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., Elaine Luria, D-Va., and Mark Takano, D-Calif., held in place near the Capitol and returned to the building to let passengers off about 3 p.m. Thursday.

Trump’s letter, which cited the ongoing partial government shutdown as the reason for his decision, comes a day after Pelosi told the president he should postpone his Jan. 29 State of the Union address or submit it in writing because the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t been funded for the current year.

Lawmakers react to Trump canceling Pelosi's Afghanistan trip

JAN. 17, 201901:38

“Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan has been postponed,” Trump wrote. “In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate.”

Trump said in his letter that Pelosi could reschedule the trip after the government has re-opened.

"It would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement,“ he wrote, but “if you would like to make your journey flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative.”

Pelosi's spokesman Drew Hammill pointed out in a multi-part response on Twitter that Trump visited U.S. troops in Iraq shortly after the partial government shutdown went into effect last month.

The purpose of Pelosi's planned trip "was to express appreciation & thanks to our men & women in uniform for their service & dedication, & to obtain critical national security & intelligence briefings from those on the front lines," Hammill wrote.

The itinerary included a required stop in Brussels to allow the pilot to rest, the statement said, adding that the delegation planned to meet NATO commanders, U.S. military leaders and key allies "to affirm the United States’ ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance." The trip did not include a stop in Egypt, Hammill said.

A White House official told NBC News that Trump had decided to ground all congressional delegation trips abroad during the shutdown.

Several hours later, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that “[o]ut of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay and to ensure his team can assist as needed, President Trump has canceled his Delegation’s trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.”

The announcement came two days after the White House released an updated list of Trump officials slated to attend the gathering, including secretary of state Mike Pompeo and secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross.

Last year, Lynch wrote an amendment to the annual bill authorizing Pentagon operations that would have required the Defense Department to assist members of Congress trying to visit Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Kuwait. The amendment was designed to counter restrictions that Democrats said were being placed on their travel to those regions. It was killed in the House Rules Committee, which was then controlled by Republicans, and never got a vote on the House floor.

Trump's letter only dealt with Pelosi's travel, and Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the president should not have interfered with the speaker's effort to visit with troops.

"In a presidency full of new lows, this is yet another one," said Connolly, who was not planning to go on the trip.

But House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters he thought it was the "appropriate" move for the president to make.

"Why would she want to go overseas with government shut down, with people missing their paychecks?” McCarthy said.

Trump's campaign sent out a fundraising email shortly after his letter to Pelosi asking supporters to donate a total of $1 million over nine hours in response to her request that he not deliver the State of the Union address later this month.

"Nancy Pelosi asked me to reschedule the State of the Union Address given the “security concerns” regarding the government shutdown," Trump wrote. "What about the REAL security concerns at our Southern Border? What about the REAL security concerns of American Citizens and their loved ones?"

Trump's move earned a quick rebuke from one of his closest allies in Congress, Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C.

Pelosi: State of the Union date 'isn't sacred for any reason'

JAN. 17, 201901:59

"One sophomoric response does not deserve another. Speaker Pelosi’s threat to cancel the State of the Union is very irresponsible and blatantly political," Graham said in a statement released to the media. "President Trump denying Speaker Pelosi military travel to visit our troops in Afghanistan, our allies in Egypt and NATO is also inappropriate."

Graham said that he is "glad the Speaker wants to meet our troops," even though he is "disappointed she's playing politics with the State of the Union."

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer also slammed the decision. "It's petty. It's small. It’s vindictive. It is unbecoming of the President of the United States, and it is an unfortunately daily occurrence," he told reporters.

Earlier Thursday, Pelosi told reporters that her rationale for seeking to reschedule the annual State of the Union address came down to her and other Democrats not wanting to have security officials work the event without being paid.

"Maybe he thinks it's OK not to pay people who work," she said, an apparent jab at the president over allegations that his businesses have stiffed contractors in the past. "I don't. And my caucus doesn't either."

Trump has said in the past that if his companies didn't pay contractors or workers fully, it was because of dissatisfaction with their work, according to news reports.

Pelosi said Thursday that she had "no doubt" that federal security officials were properly trained for the event and could perform their duties regardless of whether the government was shut down, but she said those workers "should be paid for this."

"This is why I said to the president that ... if you don't open up the government, let's discuss a mutually acceptable date," the California Democrat said, adding that the previously agreed upon date of Jan. 29 "isn't sacred for any reason."

On Wednesday, Pelosi wrote Trump a letter saying he should either delay the address or submit it in writing, citing the security burdens that a speech before a joint session of Congress would place on the government during the partial shutdown.

"Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th," Pelosi wrote in the letter to Trump.

Parts of the federal government, including some operations of the Department of Homeland Security, have been closed down since Dec. 22, when funding for several federal agencies lapsed amid an an impasse between Trump and Congress over his request for billions of dollars in funding for a border wall.

In separate remarks Thursday, Trump blamed Pelosi and her party's lawmakers for the partial government shutdown.

“The federal government remains shut down because congressional Democrats refuse to approve border security," Trump said, speaking at the Pentagon about the country’s missile defense system. "We’re going to have border security; it’s going to be tight, it’s going to be strong.”

“While many Democrats in the House and Senate would like to make a deal, Speaker Pelosi will not let them negotiate," Trump continued. "The party has been hijacked by the open-borders fringe within the party, the radical left becoming the radical Democrats.”

“Hopefully Democratic lawmakers will step forward to do what is right for our country, and what is right for our country is border security at the strongest level,” he added.

Trump’s comments come as the shutdown is in its 27th day. National polls show that a majority of Americans and voters blame Trump more for the partial government shutdown. They also place his approval rating below where it was on the eve of the 2018 midterms. A recent Gallup poll, for example, has Trump’s approval rating at 37 percent, down from 39 percent last month.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen tweeted on Wednesday that her department is ready and prepared to provide security for Trump's State of the Union speech.

Above is from:  https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/pelosi-jabs-trump-maybe-he-thinks-it-s-ok-not-n959841

County t0 use “special action” on the Plote Case

Based upon legal advise from a consulting attorney, Ancel Glick,LLP, Boone County will rework the Plote case and attempt to special “text amendment” the current gravel pit into legal operations.  The consultant’s complete memorandum is available at:  https://www.boarddocs.com/il/boone/Board.nsf/files/B8GPEV5814ED/$file/Plote%20Text%20Amendment%20Boone%20County%20Code.pdf

The following is from page 5 of that memorandum: 

Conclusion

In sum (summary) although the County appeared to follow the procedural requirement in granting a special use permit to Plote to operate the quarry use on the Property, that use was not an authorized use in the A1 district at the time the special use was approved. The parties could not agree to “authorize” that use through the Settlement Agreement or Consent Order because Illinois case law requires the procedural requirements for zoning approvals be followed even in settling land use litigation or disputes. One option to address this issue is to amend the CZO to expressly authorize this use in the A1 district as a special use. Should the County want to avoid opening the special use up to all properties in the A-1 district, it could add certain limiting language to the clarifying conditions in the Table of Permitted Uses.

The quarry use of the property never was authorized because the use was not an authorized use for a A-1(agricultural) district. So one option is for the county to amend the text and now allow such operation by special use in an A1 district.  But limit the provision so that only Plote will qualify.  This appears to be what the county is doing as the case is being sent back for hearings etc. as a text amendment to the A-1.

The real costs of Trump Tariffs

Trump’s Tariffs Are Producing Billions, But China Isn’t Paying

Mark Niquette

,

Bloomberg

•January 17, 2019

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Trump’s Tariffs Are Producing Billions, But China Isn’t Paying

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump is right to say that his tariffs are generating billions of dollars for the U.S. But China and other countries aren’t paying them as he’s suggested.

According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than $13 billion in duties imposed by the Trump administration were assessed on imported goods as of Dec. 18. Actual collections could lag and be lower because of refunds and other factors, but Treasury Department reports show receipts from all customs duties have risen sharply since the tariffs took effect.

While Trump has suggested on Twitter and in public comments that tariffs are somehow being charged to or paid by China and other countries, trade economists say that’s generally misleading. U.S. importers of record are responsible for the duties, and ultimately U.S. businesses and consumers could pay through higher costs, they say.

Trump is “suggesting this is bringing in lots of new revenue and all of the burden is falling on the Chinese,’’ said Phil Levy, senior fellow on the global economy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and a former senior economist for trade for President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers. “I think that’s mostly false.’’

Trump Tax

Johns Hopkins University applied economics professor Steve Hanke, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Ronald Reagan, put it more bluntly.

“Tariffs on Chinese imports are paid by Americans, not by the Chinese or their government. The President’s tariffs are simply a #tax on American consumers,’’ Hanke said on Twitter Jan. 6.

Hanke also pointed out that there are offsets to increased revenue from Trump’s tariffs, including as much as $12 billion in aid being paid to farmers after China slapped retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural products.

The White House didn’t respond to messages seeking comment. Trump has said any economic pain from tariffs or retaliatory duties imposed by other countries will be outweighed by the long-term benefits from new trade deals.

The Trump administration imposed tariffs starting last January on foreign-made solar equipment and washing machines, then levied duties on steel and aluminum imports from March on the grounds of national security. He has slapped duties on about $250 billion in Chinese goods in response to a trade deficit and allegations of intellectual property theft and other unfair trade practices.

Customs and Border Protection collects the tariffs based on the price paid for shipments and the tariff rate in effect, and duties are charged when shipments are released into the U.S. The assessed amount now tops $13 billion, with $8 billion coming from the duties on Chinese goods, data provided by CBP show.

The duties are deposited in the U.S. Treasury. Customs duties increased by $8 billion in the final three months of 2018, an 83 percent gain from the year-ago period thanks in large part to tariffs imposed by Trump, according to estimates from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

Trump’s comments have suggested the U.S. is benefiting without paying, such as a Jan. 3 tweet that “the United States Treasury has taken in MANY billions of dollars from the Tariffs we are charging China and other countries that have not treated us fairly.” A day later he told reporters that “we’ve taken in billions and billions of dollars in tariffs from China and from others.’’

It’s not foreign governments paying, said Dan Anthony, vice president of The Trade Partnership, an economic consulting firm. U.S. businesses paid $2.8 billion in new Trump tariffs in October alone, The Trade Partnership determined in an analysis for Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, a coalition of business and agricultural groups lobbying against Trump’s duties.

Companies aren’t equivocating about the cost. Ford Motor Co. executives, speaking during the Deutsche Bank Global Automotive Conference in Detroit on Wednesday, said they see a $700 million headwind from duties this year. General Motors Co. said late last year that tariffs on steel and aluminum had already cost it $1 billion.

“Let me be very clear: Tariffs are taxes paid by American families and American businesses -- not by foreigners,’’ Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in his annual state of American business address last week.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Niquette in Columbus at mniquette@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sara Forden at sforden@bloomberg.net, Sarah McGregor, Randall Woods

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

Above is from:  https://finance.yahoo.com/news/morning-brief-remembering-jack-bogle-father-of-the-index-fund-112016276.html

SHOPCO in Belvidere to stay open

Shopko files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, announces more closures

Wisconsin-based retail chain Shopko, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday, does not have plans to close several stores in the Stateline.

Shopko operates stores in Beloit, Belvidere, Dixon and Freeport. None of these locations were part of Shopko's list of closing stores.

According to the list, Shopko plans to close around 100 stores by April 2019. The company plans to close 16 stores is Wisconsin, including locations in Green Bay, Madison and Manitowoc.

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Previous stories

(WIFR) -- Wisconsin-based retail chain Shopko, which operates stores in Beloit, Belvidere, Freeport and Dixon, officially files for bankruptcy Wednesday.

The company announced Wednesday its need for financial restructuring due to excessive debt and competition.

Shopko is closing an extra 38 locations and relocating 20 optical centers to freestanding locations.

"We have had to make some very tough choices, but we are confident
that by operating a smaller and more focused store footprint, we will be able to build a stronger Shopko," said Shopko CEO Russ Steinhorst.

Information is not yet available whether store locations in Freeport, Belvidere or Beloit are affected by the closures.

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Previous story

(AP) -- McKesson Corp., pharmaceutical drug supplier to Shopko, says it supplied Shopko with $67 million in drugs since Nov. 11 but had not been paid since early December.

McKesson asked a judge for a restraining order this week to keep Shopko from selling the medications it has supplied. McKesson attorney Jeff Garfinkle said during a court hearing that Shopko is expected to file for bankruptcy protection Jan. 15.

Press-Gazette Media says Shopko attorney Stephen Hackney says a restraining order would require the retailer to close its pharmacies and would harm patients who need the medications.

Above is from:  https://www.wifr.com/content/news/Shopko-expected-to-file-for-bankruptcy-next-week-504107021.html

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Email to customers:
January 16, 2019
To:       Shopko Customers
Re:      Important Information Regarding Shopko’s Restructuring
Since 1962, Shopko has provided quality name-brand merchandise, great values and services to small and mid-size cities and have consistently met the needs of smaller communities across the Central, Western and Pacific Northwest regions of the U.S.
Over the past several months, we have been taking action to drive improved performance and strengthen Shopko’s financial position. Today, Shopko took an important step towards protecting our future and ensuring our ability to continue delivering the high-quality products and services that our customers are accustomed to receiving.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU: WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS

• Our continuing stores are open. We continue to offer the high-quality products that you are accustomed to.
• Our customer programs will be offered as normal at our continuing stores. Except for those stores that we are closing, we are continuing to honor return policies, warranties, gift cards and merchandise credits, as well as our loyalty programs.
• You can continue to count on our high-quality products and services.

Today's announcement provides clarity about the path forward for us, and we are confident the outcome will be a stronger Shopko for you, our valued customers, through the process.
If you have questions about this process, you can find FAQ’s and additional information on a special page on our website at http://info.shopko.com.
We will be sure to communicate with you throughout our reorganization and give regular updates as important decisions and major developments take place.
Sincerely,

Russ Steinhorst, SHOPKO CEO

Judge bars citizenship question from 2020 census

LARRY NEUMEISTER

,

Associated Press•January 15, 2019

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration cannot put a question about citizenship status on the 2020 census, a federal judge in New York ruled Friday in a boost to proponents of counting immigrants.

In a 277-page decision that won't be the final word on the issue, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman ruled that while such a question would be constitutional, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had moved to add it to the census arbitrarily and had not followed proper administrative procedures.

"He failed to consider several important aspects of the problem; alternately ignored, cherry-picked, or badly misconstrued the evidence in the record before him; acted irrationally both in light of that evidence and his own stated decisional criteria; and failed to justify significant departures from past policies and practices," Furman wrote.

Among other things, the judge said, Ross didn't follow a law requiring that he give Congress three years notice of any plan to add a question about citizenship to the census.

The ruling came in a case in which a dozen states or big cities and immigrants' rights groups argued that the Commerce Department, which designs the census, had failed to properly analyze the effect the question would have on households where immigrants live.

A separate suit on the same issue, filed by the state of California, is underway in San Francisco.

The U.S. Supreme Court is also poised to address the issue Feb. 19, meaning the legal issue is far from decided for good.

In the New York case, the plaintiffs accused the administration of Republican President Donald Trump of adding the question to intentionally discourage immigrants from participating, which could lead to a population undercount — and possibly fewer seats in Congress — in places that tend to vote Democratic.

Even people in the U.S. legally, they said, might dodge the census questionnaire out of fears they could be targeted by a hostile administration.

The Justice Department argued that Ross had no such motive and acted properly after consulting with Census Bureau staff members and others.

When Ross announced the plan in March, he said the question was needed in part to help the government enforce the Voting Rights Act, a 1965 law meant to protect political representation of minority groups.

Ross said politics played no role in the decision, initially testifying under oath that he hadn't spoken to anyone in the White House on the subject.

Later, however, Justice Department lawyers submitted papers saying Ross remembered speaking in spring 2017 about adding the question with former senior White House adviser Steve Bannon and with then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The U.S. Supreme Court blocked Ross from being deposed, but let the trial proceed, over the objections of Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch.

In a dissent on one of two Supreme Court orders related to the case, Gorsuch wrote there was "nothing unusual about a new cabinet secretary coming to office inclined to favor a different policy direction, soliciting support from other agencies to bolster his views, disagreeing with staff, or cutting through red tape."

"Of course, some people may disagree with the policy and process," he wrote. "But until now, at least, this much has never been thought enough to justify a claim of bad faith and launch an inquisition into a cabinet secretary's motives."

The constitutionally mandated census is supposed to count all people living in the U.S., including noncitizens and immigrants living in the country illegally.

The Census Bureau's staff estimated that adding a citizenship question could depress responses in households with at least one noncitizen by as much as 5.8 percent. That could be particularly damaging in states like New York or California, which have large immigrant populations.

Justice Department lawyers argued that the estimate was overblown and that, even if they were true, that didn't mean Ross exceeded his legal authority in putting the question on anyway.

Above is from: https://news.yahoo.com/judge-bars-citizenship-2020-census-150010751.html?.tsrc=bell-brknews