(CNN) A federal judge in New York said on Tuesday that the Justice Department cannot swap out its legal team in the census citizenship question case, yet another twist in a case tossed into tumult by a Supreme Court decision last month.

"Defendants provide no reasons, let alone 'satisfactory reasons,' for the substitution of counsel," wrote District Judge Jesse Furman, citing upcoming deadlines , of the department's attempt to put new lawyers on the case.

"As this Court observed many months ago, this case has been litigated on the premise -- based 'in no small part' on Defendants' own 'insist(ence)' -- that the speedy resolution of Plaintiffs' claims is a matter of great private and public importance."

Furman also may review requests from the civil rights groups suing the administration to issue sanctions in the case because administration witnesses allegedly weren't truthful, and to stop the administration from making any changes to the census.

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