This just came out 12 minutes ago, so I'll just post the short AP summary, if that's ok with you:
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has sided with Congress in its fight with the Bush administration over whether top White House aides can be subpoenaed by Congress.
The House Judiciary Committee wants to question the president's chief of staff, Josh Bolten, and former legal counsel Harriet Miers, about the firing of nine U.S. attorneys.
But President Bush says they are immune from such subpoenas. They say Congress can't force them to testify.
U.S. District Judge John Bates said there's no legal support for that stance. He refused to throw out the case and said the aides can be subpoenaed.
I'll update as more comes in. My only comment at this point is, if Mukasey does not enforce both a congressional contempt citation and a validating court decision, then HE should be held in contempt, literally as well as figuratively.
The ruling can be appealed.
I've been advised this has already been diaried here
Being at work and doing an occasion Kos Break does not always give the opportunity to a full review of all diaries - but I congratulate the quick response of the first diarist.
UPDATE: The Court seems to be suggesting negotiation between the branches - which, of course, is better than one branch thumbing their nose at the other:
The court said it did not address specific claims of executive privilege that Miers and Bolten may assert. "Nor should this decision discourage the process of negotiation and accommodation that most often leads to resolution of disputes between the political branches," the opinion said.
The court stopped short of requiring Bolten to produce a privilege log requested by the committee.
"Instead, the (administration) should produce a more detailed list and description of the nature and scope of the documents it seeks to withhold on the basis of executive privilege sufficient to enable resolution of any privilege claims," the court wrote.