The Justice Department is fighting a judge's order to turn over grand jury evidence from the Mueller investigation to Congress

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik/AP)

As expected, the Justice Department is appealing a federal judge's order that the department must hand over previously withheld grand jury evidence from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into 2016 Russian election interference by Oct. 30, as the House conducts its impeachment inquiry.

Additionally, the department asked Monday for a stay of the order until a federal appeals court reviews the case. The department argued that if the grand jury testimony is released to the House Judiciary Committee, it "cannot be recalled, and the confidentiality of the grand jury information will be lost for all time."

This wasn't a surprise to most observers, though it has been argued that the White House may be overreaching.

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Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell initially ruled Friday that the Justice Department was required to produce the material because it could contain evidence that affects the impeachment inquiry. In her ruling, she noted the White House's refusal to comply with the investigation only strengthened the Democrats' impeachment arguments.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.