Federal judge compels Secretary of Commerce Ross to be deposed in suit against citizenship question
While Ross has testified about the question before Congress and wanted to avoid a deposition in this lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman wrote in an order Friday “the question is not a close one: Secretary Ross must sit for a deposition because, among other things, his intent and credibility are directly at issue in these cases.”
.. government officials should only be called to testify in exceptional circumstances, since they have “greater duties and time constraints than other witnesses.” Thus, the 2nd Circuit ruled, such officials should only be deposed if they have first-hand knowledge or if other sources cannot provide the same information.
Furman said this case meets both of those standards. The heart of the issue is Ross’s own intention in adding the question to the census.
To avoid imposing too much of a burden on Ross, Furman limited the deposition to four hours.
.. evidence found by the attorneys general that suggests Ross took a strong interest in getting the citizenship question added himself, repeatedly raising the topic despite objections from experts within the Census Bureau.