The Justice Department is shaking up the legal team fighting for the inclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 census but offered no specifics on why the change was being made.
President Donald Trump said last week that he was"very seriously" considering an executive order to get the question on the form. The government has already started to print the census questionnaire without the question.
"Since these cases began, the lawyers representing the United States in these cases have given countless hours to defending the Commerce Department and have consistently demonstrated the highest professionalism, integrity, and skill inside and outside the courtroom," Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in a statement.
A Justice Department official told The Associated Press that the new team would consist of both career and politically appointed attorneys. James Burnham, a top lawyer in the department's civil division, would no longer be leading the litigation team, said the official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter ahead of the court filing.
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