WASHINGTON—A federal judge seemed skeptical Wednesday of the
Justice Department's bid to dismiss a congressional lawsuit
seeking records related to Operation Fast and Furious, a bungled
federal gun-tracking operation in Arizona.  Judge Amy Berman
Jackson sharply challenged the department's claim that federal
courts have no jurisdiction in the dispute. Department lawyer
Ian Gershengorn said the battle over the documents should be
resolved by the checks and balances between the legislative and
executive branches.  "I'm a check and balance," countered
Jackson, an appointee of President Barack Obama. "The third
branch exists."  The House Oversight and Government Reform
Committee is seeking documents that might explain what led the
Justice Department to reverse course after initially denying
that federal agents had used a tactic called "gun-walking" in
the law enforcement operation.  Obama has invoked executive
privilege and Attorney General Eric Holder has been found to be
in contempt of Congress for refusing to