MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A panel of judges is hearing arguments over whether the U.S. Census Bureau can use a controversial statistical technique to keep people’s information private in the numbers used for drawing political districts. Monday’s hearing hinges on a balancing test: The method known as “differential privacy” must meet the federal legal requirement for maintaining the confidentiality of people who participated in the 2020 census. But it also has to allow the numbers to be sufficiently accurate for the highly-partisan process of redrawing congressional and legislative districts. Because a panel of three federal judges is deciding the matter, any appeal could go straight to the Supreme Court.
In South Dakota….
According to 2020 US Census Bureau data released the week of April 25, 2021, South Dakota’s population has grown nearly 72,500 (72,487) people to 886,667. The increase of 8.9% since 2010 put South Dakota as the 16th fastest growing state in the nation. While the information determines how the 435 seats in the US House of Representatives will be distributed, state Senate Redistricting Committee chair Mary Duvall of Pierre (D24) says there aren’t enough details yet to determine South Dakota’s legislative district boundaries.
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