Judge Sullivan also wants to hear from the IRS

In the post immediately below, Scott reports that Judge Reggie Walton “wants to hear from the IRS.” Specifically, he wants the IRS to testify under oath about discovery issues pertaining to the destruction of evidence.

Judge Walton isn’t the only veteran District Court Judge here in Washington DC who wants to hear from the IRS about this matter. Yesterday, Judge Emmet Sullivan, a Clinton appointee, ordered the IRS to explain in writing and under oath how some of Lois Lerner’s emails went missing, and to detail any potential methods for recovering them. Judge Sullivan gave the Internal Revenue Service one month — until Aug. 10 — to file its report.

This order came in a suit by Judicial Watch. It is seeking a wide range of documents from the IRS, including Lois Lerner’s emails, as part of a Freedom of Information Act request

Judicial Watch had asked that the court compel IRS officials to testify about the lost emails. Judge Sullivan didn’t grant that request, opting instead for a written report. However, in addition to the written report under oath, he ordered that the IRS work with Judge John Facciola, a federal magistrate judge and an expert in electronic discovery, to find out how many of Lerner’s emails can be found through other methods.

Although Judicial Watch didn’t get all of the discovery methods it requested, Judge Sullivan’s ruling is still a win. Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton described the ruling as “a victory for public accountability.” He added: “These extraordinary court rulings are key steps in unraveling the Obama IRS’s ongoing cover up of its abuses against critics of this administration.”