The Department of Justice's plan to switch legal teams in its attempt to include a citizenship question in the 2020 Census was rejected by a second judge on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The order handed down by U.S. District Judge George Hazel, who's presiding over a challenge to the Trump administration’s plan in Maryland, is yet another blow for the Trump administration as it pushes to include the question in the 2020 Census.
The big picture: A federal judge in New York ruled on Tuesday the DOJ couldn't switch legal teams without providing "satisfactory reasons" to do so.
Hazel said the department could refile its motion if it provides "satisfactory reasons" for the attorney switch and gives assurances of an orderly transition between the legal teams, with the attorneys who worked on the case earlier available on request.
