时代周刊 加州为何起诉联邦政府的人口普查?

Why is California suing the federal government over the Census¹?

加州为何起诉联邦政府的人口普查?

THE U. S. CENSUS HAS BEEN EVOLVING SINCE 1790,

自1790年以来，美国的人口普查就一直在不断向前发展，

but the latest change to the list of questions has some demographics experts, civil rights leaders and Democratic lawmakers worried—

然而，最近问题列表的变动引起了一些人口统计专家，民权领袖和民主党议员的深切担忧，

so worried that the tweak is already facing several legal challenges.

以致变动已经多次面临法律挑战。

At issue is the Trump² Administration's announcement on March 26 that the 2020 Census will include a question about citizenship³ status.

争论的焦点在于特朗普政府3月26日宣布，2020年的人口普查将包含一项关于公民身份的调查问题。

Critics argue that the question could lead undocumented immigrants to skip the Census entirely⁴.

批评人士认为，这个问题可能导致无证移民彻底跳过人口普查。

Census data afects everything from how much money an area receives for its highways to how many Representatives a state sends to Congress—

人口普查数据的影响涉及方方面面，从一个地区高速公路收费的多少到一个州向国会输送的议员数量——

and thus how many delegates it receives in the Electoral College.

进而影响该州在选举人团中的代表数量。

If people opt⁵ out, the resulting inaccurate⁶ population count could create an uneven⁷ distribution of federal funds

如果人们退出人口普查，由此产生的不准确人口数量可能导致联邦资金分配不均,

and, because of the demographics of the respondents in question, tilt⁸ the political landscape in favor of Republicans.

同时，由于有关受访者的人口统计数据问题，导致美国的政治格局倒向共和党一边。

In the wake of the announcement, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders argued that the move is nothing new

特朗普宣布这一消息之后，白宫新闻秘书萨拉·赫卡比·桑德斯辩护称，此举并不新鲜

(in fact, the decennial Census has not included a question about citizenship since 1950, though other census-related surveys have),

（事实上，自1950年以来十年一次的人口普查一直没有包含公民身份问题，尽管其他与人口普查有关的调查都有包含）

and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the decision came at the request of the Department of Justice,

商务部长威尔伯·罗斯说，这一决定是在司法部的要求下作出的，

which needs the information to enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

因为司法部需要这些信息来执行1965年通过的《投票权法案》。

Secretary Ross determined¹⁰ that obtaining complete and accurate information to meet this legitimate¹¹ government purpose

罗斯部长认为，获得完整而准确的信息以满足政府这一合法目的，

outweighed¹² the limited potential adverse¹³ impacts, the department said in a statement.

大于有潜在且有限的不利影响，该部门在一份声明中指出。

1Response to the Administration's decision was swift.

民众对政府当局的决定迅速做出了回应。

Within hours of the announcement, the attorney general of California said he was iling a lawsuit¹⁴ to try to stop the question from being included.

公告发布后几个小时之内，加利福尼亚州司法部长便表示，他已经着手提起诉讼，阻止该问题被列入问卷。

Eleven other states are also suing to challenge the decision.

政府当局的决定得到了迅速的回应。

Former Attorney General Eric Holder¹⁵, who now leads the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said his organization will likewise sue to stop it.

前总检察长，现国家民主党重新划定委员会主席埃里克·霍尔德说，他的委员会也会起诉以阻止特朗普的这一决定。

Representative Carolyn Maloney, who co-chairs the House Census Caucus¹⁶, had already introduced a bill

众议院人口普查小组联合主席，议员卡罗琳·马洛尼则提出了一项法案，

that requires that Census changes be tested before implementation¹⁷.

要求在正式实施之前先对人口普查的这一变动进行测试。

Legislation that specifically addresses the citizenship question had also been introduced in the Senate.

参议院也引入了专门针对公民身份问题的立法。

Leaders of immigrant and civil rights groups said they were gearing up for Census difficulties no matter what happens with the suits.

移民和民权组织的领导人表示，无论诉讼结果如何，他们都会为人口普查做好准备。

They fear the Trump Administration's rhetoric¹⁸ may deter⁹ members of underrepresented communities from participating in a government survey—even if being counted would ultimately help them.

他们担心特朗普政府的言论可能会让那些代表名额不足的社区的成员不敢再参与政府调查——即便被统计在内最终会帮助到他们。

The citizenship question only makes the matter that much more diicult.

公民身份问题只会让问题变得更加困难。

"Even if the question is removed," said John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice,

“即使这次新增的问题被删，”亚美公义促进中心主席兼执行董事约翰·杨说到。

"there will be barriers we will have to get through."

“将来还是会有别的障碍等着我们。”

1 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

4 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

5 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

6 inaccurate   

adj.错误的，不正确的，不准确的

参考例句：

• The book is both inaccurate and exaggerated.这本书不但不准确，而且夸大其词。
• She never knows the right time because her watch is inaccurate.她从来不知道准确的时间因为她的表不准。

7 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

8 tilt   

v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜

参考例句：

• She wore her hat at a tilt over her left eye.她歪戴着帽子遮住左眼。
• The table is at a slight tilt.这张桌子没放平，有点儿歪.

9 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

10 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

11 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

12 outweighed   

v.在重量上超过( outweigh的过去式和过去分词 )；在重要性或价值方面超过

参考例句：

• This boxer outweighed by his opponent 20 pounds. 这个拳击选手体重比他的对手重20磅。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She outweighed me by ten pounds, and sometimes she knocked me down. 她的体重超过我十磅，有时竟把我撞倒。 来自百科语句

13 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

14 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

15 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

16 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

17 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

18 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。