Following the Trump administration’s July announcement that it would drop its proposed citizenship question from the 2020 Census, the U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to settle with plaintiffs from the lawsuits that challenged the question concerning attorney fees and other litigation expenses.
After recovering out-of-pocket costs – such as expert fees, travel costs, transcripts and court costs – Manatt is donating the remainder of the recovery to its co-counsel at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Public Counsel in recognition of their excellent work as top flight civil rights organizations enforcing the rule of law.
Earlier this year, a Manatt pro bono team lead by John Libby, partner and leader of the firm’s investigations and white collar defense practice, along with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Public Counsel, successfully challenged the 2020 Census citizenship question on behalf of the city of San Jose and the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.
On June 27, the Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Department of Commerce’s efforts to add a citizenship question to the upcoming Census was “contrived” and failed to provide enough of an explanation for its addition. Ahead of this decision, the Manatt team and its co-counsel filed an amicus brief with the Court, arguing that the question’s addition was unconstitutional, arbitrary and capricious.
Read the complete settlement agreement here.
This settlement was covered by The National Law Journal, The Recorder and Law.com.