The suit is an indication that Democrats believe their hand has been strengthened by the victory in the McGahn case as they seek documents related to other subpoenas that the Trump administration has defied.

The House first voted to enforce the subpoenas in July, formally holding Barr and Ross in contempt of Congress for defying the committee’s subpoenas seeking information about the administration’s ultimately unsuccessful efforts to add a citizenship question to next year’s census.

The Justice Department declined to prosecute Barr or Ross for flouting the requests, arguing that the information Democrats were seeking was protected by executive privilege.

Maloney’s lawsuit seeks copies of memos and correspondence related to allegations that the Trump administration’s effort to add a citizenship question to the census was based on political considerations, rather than its publicly stated effort to enforce the Voting Rights Act.

In a statement, a Commerce Department spokesman said the lawsuit “lacks merit” and asserted that the department has cooperated with “overzealous ”House Democrats.

The Supreme Court blocked the Commerce Department from adding the controversial question in June, handing Democrats another legal victory as they argued that the question would suppress congressional representation in communities of color.

President Donald Trump ultimately backed down from the effort after the Supreme Court’s ruling.

