U.S. says revamping census legal team is justified -- Maryland filing

The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday rejected the contention that replacing its legal team in cases concerning the 2020 census was unjustified or prejudice the case. In a filing in a federal court in Maryland, the Justice Department said Attorney General William Barr had broad authority to assign lawyers, and that a staffing change "will not affect the posture of the case or cause any disruption."

The filing came a day after U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan rejected a Justice Department request to substitute new lawyers in the census case he oversees. The Maryland case is overseen by U.S. District Judge George Hazel.