BALTIMORE, MD.  — This decision by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is an affirmation of who we are as a nation and what we are not. It is essential that each and every resident of our City and communities be counted. So much depends on a full and accurate counting in terms of federal dollars, essential services and congressional representation. The defeat of this attempt to undercount our residents is not only welcome but a cause for celebration.

While the legal battles to remove the Citizenship question are not over, I remain committed to ensuring that every Baltimorean is counted and can confidently participate in the upcoming Census. I support the State of Maryland’s lawsuit to remove the citizenship question, a trial which will begin this month. Each of us has a right to be counted, and Judge Furman’s decision is a critical step in defending that right.

Mayor Catherine E. Pugh