| NEW YORK — A federal judge on Friday declined to immediately approve the Justice Department's effort to drop the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, instead appointing an elite Supreme Court advocate to present "adversarial" arguments on the department's bid to abandon the corruption charges. U.S. District Judge Dale Ho tapped Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general who often represents conservative causes at the Supreme Court, to submit a legal brief by March 7. The judge said the appointment of an outside lawyer — an unusual move in a criminal prosecution — will "assist the court's decision-making" given that both the Justice Department and Adams want the case dismissed.
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