Judge Denies DOJ Request to Change Legal Team in Census Case

A federal judge in Manhattan on Tuesday denied an effort by the U.S. Justice Department to shake up the legal team of civil division attorneys that have long handled the 2020 census-related cases.

Adding yet another hurdle for the Justice Department as it struggles to find a new path forward to adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census, U.S. District Court Judge Jesse Furman said in a court order the department's 11th-hour request to change lawyers handling the case is "patently deficient" and provides no "satisfactory reasons."