Supreme Court sides with Trump administration bid to end 2020 census count

Supreme Court sides with Trump administration bid to end 2020 census count

A demonstrator holds a sign that reads "Everyone Counts" outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, June 27, 2019.

Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the Trump administration to end field operations for the 2020 census, temporarily halting a lower court decision that had extended the count.

The decision came in an unsigned order, as is typical for emergency cases. Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented.

The order will allow the Trump administration to end the decennial count while the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considers the matter.

The case arose after Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross backtracked on a plan announced in April to extend the count until Oct. 31 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In August, Ross said that count would