In June of 2000, the Census Bureau issued a statement on the feasibility of using modern statistical methods to adjust Census 2000 counts as stipulated by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in January of 1999, along with the rationale for the Bureau's preliminary determination that statistically adjusted census data for redistricting can be produced within the time frame required by law. The Census Bureau and the Department of Commerce also established a process for making the final decision.

In March of 2001, ESCAP recommended that unadjusted data be released as the Census Bureau's official redistricting data because the Committee was unable to conclude at that time that the adjusted data were more accurate. In October of 2001, after assessing considerable new evidence, ESCAP recommended that unadjusted Census 2000 data also be used for non-redistricting purposes.

The decision on census adjustment represents a complex evaluation of one of the highest-profile applications of modern statistical and information-gathering methodologies. This seminar documents the decision and describes the rationale for it.