The US Department of Justice said Tuesday that it will urge the Supreme Court to expedite the process of determining whether the 2020 census will include a citizenship question.

This request follows US District Judge Jesse Furman’s order last week to halt the Trump administration’s plans to add the question to the census.

In  the Department of Justice’s filing released on Tuesday, Solicitor General Noel Francisco wrote:

As respondents recognize, the government must finalize the census questionnaire by the end of June 2019 to enable it to be printed on time. It is exceedingly unlikely that there is sufficient time for review in both the court of appeals and in this Court by that deadline. … Accordingly, as a practical matter, granting the government’s petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment is likely the only way to protect this Court’s opportunity for review.

Francisco argued that an immediate determination was necessary because the case held imperative public importance.

The justices are scheduled for their next conference in February.