During the govt's examination, the Census Bureau's top scientist John Abowd claimed this morning that randomized control testing is planned for the citizenship question.
ACLU's Dale Ho objected that it's an "ambush" + govt denied discovery on it.
Judge Furman postponed ruling.
ACLU's Dale Ho objected that it's an "ambush" + govt denied discovery on it.
Judge Furman postponed ruling.
^ This is a key issue because the lack of testing was a key argument (among several others) that the Commerce Dept rushed the citizenship question without testing or process - the heart of the Administrative Procedure Act.
Abowd testified there's "no consensus" at the Census Bureau that randomized control testing would finish on time before the surveys go out.
Furman interrupts the government's questioning on intricacies of Abowd's research.
"What's the point of this particular line of inquiry?" he asks, noting it's undisputed that citizenship question causes a decline in self-response rate.
"What's the point of this particular line of inquiry?" he asks, noting it's undisputed that citizenship question causes a decline in self-response rate.
Despite testifying that the citizenship question will reduce self-reporting and data quality, Abowd that he doesn't have "credible quantitative evidence" that it will "increase the net-undercount."
This is why the plaintiffs called him as an adverse witness.
This is why the plaintiffs called him as an adverse witness.
Abowd's testimony is that:
* he and the Census Bureau recommended against the citizenship question.
* adding it would be expensive and result in worse data.
* non-response follow up (NRFU) could mitigate it.
* he and the Census Bureau recommended against the citizenship question.
* adding it would be expensive and result in worse data.
* non-response follow up (NRFU) could mitigate it.
Abowd said that the Census Bureau is trying to get an exception through Congress to hire non-citizen enumerators, or hire them as translators.
Lunch break:
Judge Furman says that he's "preliminarily inclined" to strike testimony that the Census Bureau will conduct randomized control testing + that the govt's failure to disclose it before now seems to have been a "blatant violation of the govt's discovery obligations."
Judge Furman says that he's "preliminarily inclined" to strike testimony that the Census Bureau will conduct randomized control testing + that the govt's failure to disclose it before now seems to have been a "blatant violation of the govt's discovery obligations."
Over two days of testimony, the Census Bureau's top scientist testifies the citizenship question will:
* be expensive
* lower self-reporting
* yield lower-quality data
But he stops short of one key finding.
My overview so far on @CourthouseNews.
courthousenews.com/top-census-sci…
* be expensive
* lower self-reporting
* yield lower-quality data
But he stops short of one key finding.
My overview so far on @CourthouseNews.
courthousenews.com/top-census-sci…
