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Per this thread the team exiting the case includes a top POLITICAL APPOINTEE, Deputy Assistant Attorney General James Burnham. It's one thing -- terrible and rare! -- for a career lawyer to refuse to participate; it's far worse when even someone on POTUS's team won't play along.
James Burnham was in the White House Counsel’s Office from January 2017 to April 2019. If *he* won’t advance Trump’s new arguments, something is rotten. law.com/nationallawjou… 
Why are Burnham and others refusing to contnue on the case? Probably two reasons. First, they're being asked to make wholly implausible arguments. This is extraordinary rare but it's happened before in this administration, in the Obamacare case currently before the Fifth Circuit.
The second, even bigger reason these DOJ lawyers are quitting the case is to avoid having to contradict prior representations to the courts that the Census had to be finalized by 6/30. That type of thing can lead to sanctions and discipline.
