Judge Behind Litigation-Funding Probe Unloads After Forced Pause

Delaware’s chief judge issued a searing, 78-page defense of his “inherent authority” to order the production of evidence detailing who’s really funding two among a plethora of lawsuits by companies that don’t practice the patents they wield in court.

Judge Colm F. Connolly issued the opinion in the US District Court for the District of Delaware on Wednesday, the latest salvo in an unusual saga that has prodded heavyweights including Intel Corp. and Dish Network Corp. to enter the ring.

The day had been slated for Connolly’s third hearing in a series exploring who’s actually behind a rash of ...