According to a report by Reuters, on Wednesday, the Justice Department asked the US Supreme Court to block a lower court order for Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to be questioned by lawyers representing a group of states challenging the decision to ask people taking part in the 2020 census whether they are citizens. Reuters reports that the census is used to determine the allocation of seats in Congress and at the state level, the drawing of political boundaries and the distribution of billions of dollars in federal funds.