Prosecutors would face substantial hurdles in potentially pursuing charges against Ms. Carroll, who twice won cases against Donald Trump, or the billionaire who helped pay her lawyers.
The ruling was a blow to both President Trump, who had voluntarily dismissed the suit last week, and to the Justice Department, which used the suit to establish a fund likely intended for Trump allies.
In a stern order on Friday, a judge said that she wanted to investigate the circumstances surrounding President Trump’s efforts to settle the lawsuit in a way that benefited him and his allies.
A Dominion Energy power plant near Davis, W.Va. NextEra Energy’s political activities are expected to be scrutinized as it seeks approval of its purchase of Dominion.
The Justice Department is said to be examining the funding of lawsuits brought by E. Jean Carroll, an author who has never sought a public role, political power or governmental authority.
When he returned to office, President Trump vowed revenge against those he said had challenged or defied him. Here’s an incomplete list of the people his Justice Department has targeted.
Ms. Carroll, who prevailed in a civil trial after accusing President Trump of sexual abuse, is the latest target in a Justice Department campaign going after his perceived enemies.
The Trump administration is creating a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people it says were wronged by the federal government, a group that could be largely made up of the president’s allies.
By issuing a prohibition on federal investigations that might threaten Trump’s finances, the Justice Department has placed the president and his family in a new category.
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