A federal judge in Washington pushed back Thursday against the Trump administration’s argument that courts lack authority to resolve disputes between Congress and the executive branch, questioning the Justice Department’s assertion that the House should use “political tools” rather than lawsuits to enforce subpoenas seeking records and testimony.

As President Donald Trump’s impeachment proceeded just blocks away in the Senate, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss of the District of Columbia appeared struck by the Justice Department’s claim that the court should play no role in the House’s pursuit of records related to the administration’s now-abandoned bid to include a question about citizenship status on the 2020 census. Trump’s impeachment lawyers have insisted the courts do have a role.