Judge Cornelia Pillard of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

'This Is No Longer Secretary Clinton's State Department': Judges Wary of Her Deposition Over Emails

"If the question is whether there's been an adequate search, what difference does it make what the intent was or reasons for using a private server, or Hillary Clinton's or anyone else's understanding of State's record searching obligations?" Judge Robert Wilkins asked.

June 02, 2020 at 12:22 PM

4 minute read

Jacqueline Thomsen

The original version of this story was published on National Law Journal

A panel of federal appeals judges were doubtful Tuesday of what additional information could be gleaned about Hillary Clinton's emails if the former secretary of state were to sit for a deposition in a public records case.

Judges Thomas Griffith, Cornelia Pillard and Robert Wilkins of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard the arguments after U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia ruled last year that Clinton could be deposed in a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act lawsuit for records relating to the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack. Clinton's lawyers at Williams & Connolly, led by David Kendall, intervened and petitioned the circuit to vacate Lamberth's order.

On Tuesday, Judicial Watch attorney Ramona Cotca told the court that the group had remaining questions over the handling of the emails. "The issue is identifying all sources where Clinton emails reside, and for the State Department to do an adequate search," she said.