U.S. Court Hears Utah’s Census Count Case
A federal judge said Wednesday it would be “wildly” unfair to count Utah’s Mormon missionaries overseas in the 2000 census because other Americans abroad cannot be counted so easily.
“Including only missionaries would not advance the cause of equal representation,” said Stephen Anderson, a U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals judge.
Anderson was one of three federal judges hearing Utah’s complaint that it lost a congressional seat because the Census Bureau did not count 11,176 Utah residents who were overseas on missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Utah ended 857 residents shy of gaining a fourth congressional seat that instead became North Carolina’s 13th seat.
The Census Bureau counts only federal workers and military personnel overseas.
A ruling is expected in a few weeks.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
