Readers React: Census case will show how much Chief Justice Roberts cares about judicial impartiality

To the editor: It has been said that Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. cares greatly about the reputation of the U.S. Supreme Court as a nonpartisan branch of government. All that concern will be for naught if he votes to allow the citizenship question to be added to the 2020 census.

We know that Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, who oversees the census, is not being honest when he says the purpose of including a citizenship question is to better enforce the Voting Rights Act.

If Roberts votes with the Trump administration, he will join his fellow Republicans on the court in thinking that helping his party gain seats in Congress is more important than upholding fairness.

Alex Magdaleno, Camarillo

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To the editor: In an editorial about migrants (no paperwork), the L.A. Times uses “immigrant” five times with no mention of migrants.

Immigrants arrive here with paperwork and religiously follow all the rules to keep the avenues open to eventually apply for citizenship. Migrants avoid paperwork.

Mixing migrants and immigrants together makes any rational discussion impossible — which is precisely what the Democrats want as urban areas balloon in migrant population, requiring more districts that elect Democratic representatives.

Bob Munson, Newbury Park

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To the editor: California and other blue states should start a media campaign to urge everyone, regardless of citizenship, to refuse to answer a citizenship question on the census.

While it might be a federal crime to refuse to answer part of the census, prominent Republicans (including then-Sen. Trent Lott and then-presidential candidate George W. Bush prior to the 2000 count) have historically urged people to not answer questions they found intrusive.

We need to start the “just leave it blank” movement now.

Randall Gellens, San Diego

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