U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson denied Monday the administration’s request for a stay. The administration has already asked an appeals court to put on hold her order from last week that McGahn testify. The appeals court has put the ruling on an administrative hold, and has scheduled briefing and oral arguments on the merits of the appeal.
Judge Jackson said the Justice Department could not “make a persuasive showing of irreparable harm.
“[T]the Judiciary Committee would almost certainly lose the chance to question McGahn as part of the present impeachment inquiry if a stay order issues, which would unquestionably harm the ongoing investigation that the Judiciary Committee is conducting, and by extension, would also injure the public’s interest in thorough and well-informed impeachment proceedings,” she said.
Read Judge Jackson’s ruling here
In the meantime, the department has backstopped itself against Jackson’s decision to reject its stay request. It has already secured a Jan. 3 hearing on its appeal before a three-judge panel that includes two appointees of past Republican presidents. From Politico
