DOJ Officials Avoid Subpoenas to Testify in Wage-Fixing Trial

Four current and former Justice Department employees won’t be forced to testify in one of the government’s first criminal trials alleging violations of labor-related antitrust laws.

The trial of a physical therapy staffing company for allegedly conspiring with competitors to lower workers’ pay began last week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

Judge Amos Mazzant on April 8 rejected the defendant’s bid to subpoena the DOJ employees—including the No. 2 official in the department’s Antitrust Division. Mazzant accepted the government’s argument that the employees are protected by deliberative process and work-product privilege. The judge cited ...