Court rules Jefferson raid was unlawful

The Justice Department trampled on congressional independence when it raided Rep. William J. Jefferson’s office last year, a federal appeals court ruled, siding with Congress in a constitutional showdown.

The court ordered the Justice Department to return any legislative documents it seized from the Louisiana Democrat’s Capitol Hill office. Still undecided is whether prosecutors can use other records confiscated as part of their case against Jefferson.

The raid was part of a 16-month investigation of the congressman, who is accused of accepting $100,000 from a telecommunications businessman; $90,000 was later found in a freezer in Jefferson’s home. He has pleaded not guilty.