Nat'l Urban League v. Ross

491 F.Supp.3d 572

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE, et al., Plaintiffs,

v.Wilbur L. ROSS, et al., Defendants.

Case No. 20-CV-05799-LHK

United States District Court, N.D. California, San Jose Division.

Signed October 1, 2020

Pooja Chaudhuri, Ajay P. Saini, Pro Hac Vice, Ezra D. Rosenberg, Pro Hac Vice, Jon Greenbaum, Kristen Clarke, Pro Hac Vice, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Anne Wylde Robinson, Pro Hac Vice, Gemma Donofrio, Pro Hac Vice, Genevieve P. Hoffman, Pro Hac Vice, Melissa Arbus Sherry, Pro Hac Vice, Richard P. Bress, Pro Hac Vice, Tyce Randall Walters, Pro Hac Vice, Latham & Watkins LLP, Washington, DC, Amit Makker, Shannon Danielle Lankenau, Steven Mark Bauer, Sadik Harry Huseny, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA, Kelly Marita Percival, Thomas Patrick Wolf, Pro Hac Vice, Wendy R. Weiser, Pro Hac Vice, Brennan Center for Justice, New York, NY, for Plaintiff National Urban League.

Ajay P. Saini, Pro Hac Vice, Ezra D. Rosenberg, Pro Hac Vice, Jon Greenbaum, Pooja Chaudhuri, Kristen Clarke, Pro Hac Vice, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Anne Wylde Robinson, Pro Hac Vice, Gemma Donofrio, Pro Hac Vice, Genevieve P. Hoffman, Pro Hac Vice, Melissa Arbus Sherry, Pro Hac Vice, Richard P. Bress, Pro Hac Vice, Tyce Randall Walters, Pro Hac Vice, Latham & Watkins LLP, Washington, DC, Amit Makker, Shannon Danielle Lankenau, Steven Mark Bauer, Sadik Harry Huseny, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA, Kelly Marita Percival, Pro Hac Vice, Thomas Patrick Wolf, Pro Hac Vice, Wendy R. Weiser, Pro Hac Vice, Brennan Center for Justice, New York, NY, for Plaintiffs League of Women Voters, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Texas Harris County, Washington King County, Adrian Garcia.

Danielle Luce Goldstein, Michael Joseph Dundas, Michael Nelson Feuer, Kathleen Alice Kenealy, Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney, Los Angeles, CA, Anne Wylde Robinson, Melissa Arbus Sherry, Latham & Watkins LLP, Jon Greenbaum, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington, DC, Steven Mark Bauer, Sadik Harry Huseny, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff City of Los Angeles, California.

Christopher Alan Callihan, City Attorney, Michael David Mutalipassi, City of Salinas Office of the City Attorney, Salinas, CA, Anne Wylde Robinson, Melissa Arbus Sherry, Latham & Watkins LLP, Jon Greenbaum, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington, DC, Steven Mark Bauer, Sadik Harry Huseny, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff City of Salinas, California.

Mark Dale Rosenbaum, Public Counsel, Los Angeles, CA, Pooja Chaudhuri, Ajay P. Saini, Pro Hac Vice, Ezra D. Rosenberg, Pro Hac Vice, Jon Greenbaum, Kristen Clarke, Pro Hac Vice, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Anne Wylde Robinson, Pro Hac Vice, Gemma Donofrio, Pro Hac Vice, Genevieve P. Hoffman, Pro Hac Vice, Melissa Arbus Sherry, Pro Hac Vice, Richard P. Bress, Pro Hac Vice, Tyce Randall Walters, Latham & Watkins LLP, Washington, DC, Amit Makker, Shannon Danielle Lankenau, Steven Mark Bauer, Sadik Harry Huseny, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA, Kelly Marita Percival, Pro Hac Vice, Thomas Patrick Wolf, Pro Hac Vice, Wendy R. Weiser, Pro Hac Vice, Brennan Center for Justice, New York, NY, for Plaintiff City of San Jose, California.

Pooja Chaudhuri, Ajay P. Saini, Pro Hac Vice, Ezra D. Rosenberg, Pro Hac Vice, Jon Greenbaum, Kristen Clarke, Pro Hac Vice, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Anne Wylde Robinson, Pro Hac Vice, Gemma Donofrio, Pro Hac Vice, Genevieve P. Hoffman, Pro Hac Vice, Melissa Arbus Sherry, Pro Hac Vice, Richard P. Bress, Tyce Randall Walters, Pro Hac Vice, Latham & Watkins LLP, Washington, DC, Amit Makker, Shannon Danielle Lankenau, Steven Mark Bauer, Sadik Harry Huseny, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA, Kelly Marita Percival, Pro Hac Vice, Thomas Patrick Wolf, Pro Hac Vice, Wendy R. Weiser, Pro Hac Vice, Brennan Center for Justice, New York, NY, for Plaintiff Rodney Ellis.

Doreen McPaul, Jason M. Searle, Pro Hac Vice, Navajo Nation Department of Justice, Window Rock, AZ, Anne Wylde Robinson, Melissa Arbus Sherry, Latham & Watkins LLP, Pooja Chaudhuri, Kristen Clarke, Pro Hac Vice, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington, DC, Sadik Harry Huseny, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff Navajo Nation.

Kelly Marita Percival, Pro Hac Vice, Thomas Patrick Wolf, Pro Hac Vice, Brennan Center for Justice, New York, NY, Melissa Arbus Sherry, Anne Wylde Robinson, Latham and Watkins LLP, Pooja Chaudhuri, Kristen Clarke, Pro Hac Vice, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington, DC, Wendy R. Weiser, Pro Hac Vice, Brennan Center for Justice, New York City, NY, Amit Makker, Shannon Danielle Lankenau, Sadik Harry Huseny, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Mark Flessner, Stephen J. Kane, Rebecca Hirsch, Pro Hac Vice, Coporation Counsel for the City of Chicago, Chicago, IL, Anne Wylde Robinson, Melissa Arbus Sherry, Latham & Watkins LLP, Washington, DC, Lily E. Hough, Rafey Sarkis Balabanian, Edelson PC, Sadik Harry Huseny, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff City of Chicago, Illinois.

Jacqueline Nicole Harvey, Daniel Patrick Kappes, David Ilan Holtzman, Holland & Knight LLP, Sadik Harry Huseny, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA, Anne Wylde Robinson, Melissa Arbus Sherry, Latham & Watkins LLP, Washington, DC, for Plaintiff County of Los Angeles, California.

Dario Joseph Frommer, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Anne Wylde Robinson, Melissa Arbus Sherry, Latham & Watkins LLP, Donald R. Pongrace, Pro Hac Vice, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP, Washington, DC, Sadik Harry Huseny, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Plaintiff Gila River Indian Community.

Alexander Sverdlov, Daniel D. Mauler, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, Pro Hac Vice, Alexander Kenneth Haas, August Flentje, Brad Prescott Rosenberg, Ethan Price Davis, David Michael Morrell, Diane Kelleher, Stephen Ehrlich, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC, Michael Andrew Zee, United States Department of Justice, San Francisco, CA, for Defendants Wilbur L. Ross, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau.

Alexander Sverdlov, Daniel D. Mauler, August Flentje, Stephen Ehrlich, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC, Michael Andrew Zee, United States Department of Justice, San Francisco, CA, for Defendant Steven Dillingham.

ORDER RE: CLARIFICATION OF STAY AND PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

Re: Dkt. No. 279

LUCY H. KOH, United States District Judge Plaintiffs National Urban League; League of Women Voters; Black Alliance for Just Immigration; Harris County, Texas; King County, Washington; City of Los Angeles, California; City of Salinas, California; City of San Jose, California; Rodney Ellis; Adrian Garcia; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; City of Chicago, Illinois; County of Los Angeles, California; Navajo Nation; and Gila River Indian Community (collectively, "Plaintiffs") sue Defendants Commerce Secretary Wilbur L. Ross, Jr.; the U.S. Department of Commerce; the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau Steven Dillingham, and the U.S. Census Bureau ("Bureau") (collectively, "Defendants") for violations of the Enumeration Clause and the Administrative Procedure Act ("APA").

Before the Court are two motions: (1) Plaintiffs’ motion to compel and for sanctions ("motion to compel"); and (2) Plaintiffs’ motion for temporary restraining order pending ruling on Plaintiffs’ motion to compel and for sanctions ("second TRO motion"). Having considered the parties’ submissions on the motion to compel and the second TRO motion; the parties’ arguments at the September 28 and 29, 2020 case management conferences; many briefs and court proceedings discussing Defendants’ alleged violations of the Temporary Restraining Order and the Court's Order Granting Plaintiffs’ Motion for Stay and Preliminary Injunction ("Injunction Order," ECF No. 208); the relevant law; and the record in this case, the Court:

• CLARIFIES the scope of the Court's Injunction Order;

• ORDERS Defendants to issue on October 2, 2020 a new text message to all Census Bureau employees notifying them of the Court's Injunction Order, stating that the October 5, 2020 "target date" is not operative, and stating that data collection operations will continue through October 31, 2020. On October 2, 2020, after the text message is sent, Defendants shall file a copy of the text message with the Court;

• ORDERS Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham to file, by Monday, October 5, 2020 at 2 p.m. Pacific Time, a declaration under penalty of perjury that unequivocally confirms Defendants’ ongoing compliance with the Injunction Order and details the steps Defendants have taken to prevent future violations of the Injunction Order; and

• DENIES AS MOOT Plaintiffs’ motion to compel and second TRO motion.

I. BACKGROUND

On Thursday, September 24, 2020, the Court issued an Order Granting Plaintiffs’ Motion for Stay and Preliminary Injunction ("Injunction Order"), ECF No. 208. In the Injunction Order, the Court detailed how Defendants had violated the APA by adopting the "Replan": a schedule for the 2020 Census that accelerated the deadlines for Census self-responses, non-response follow-up, data processing, and reports to the President and the states. Although the Census Bureau had taken most of a decade to develop the December 2018 Operational Plan Version 4.0 for the 2020 Census, the Bureau developed the Replan in the span of four or five days.

The Court found that Defendants had acted arbitrarily and capriciously in five independent ways: (1) Defendants failed to consider important aspects of the problem, including their constitutional and statutory obligations to produce an accurate census; (2) Defendants offered an explanation that runs counter to the evidence before them; (3) Defendants...