Per the Associated Press, a federal judge last week extended the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau’s deadline to respond to Alabama’s lawsuit challenging their practice of counting illegal immigrants until November 13.

Lawyers representing the federal government claimed they needed additional time to finish “evaluating the arguments that the government will make in this matter.”

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed the lawsuit in June and was joined by Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-5). Governor Kay Ivey has also announced that she backs the effort.

The state’s argument is that illegal immigrants should not be included in census counts used to apportion congressional seats and Electoral College votes because states who are following federal immigration law are unfairly disadvantaged.

Alabama is at serious risk to lose a congressional seat, and thus an electoral vote and needed federal funding, to states like California.

Read more about the issue and its importance here.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn