Judge delays ex-Army biologist's anthrax lawsuit

Walton agreed to delay until Oct. 7 requiring the government to answer most of the questions submitted by Hatfill's attorneys. Walton also ordered the government to provide him with another private update on the anthrax investigation in July, when the FBI said that more sophisticated tests conducted on the powder used in the attacks may reveal more information about the origin of the anthrax, the Sun reported.

While sympathizing with Hatfill, who has been fired from two jobs since becoming the public face of the anthrax investigation, Walton said that he also agreed with the government's need to prevent the lawsuit from interfering with the investigation.

"Obviously we're talking about a very important investigation in which the lives of elected officials were put in jeopardy and the lives of other people were taken," Walton said.

In his lawsuit, Hatfill has claimed that the Justice Department ruined his reputation by naming him as a "person of interest" in the anthrax investigation. U.S. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bucholtz said during yesterday's proceedings, though, that Attorney General John Ashcroft had done so to "downplay" Hatfill's status and to make clear he was not a suspect in the case.

Mark Grannis, an attorney for Hatfill, dismissed Bucholtz's claim, according to the Associated Press.

"Mr. Ashcroft acted to protect both the department and his own political image at the expense of Mr. Hatfill's constitutional rights," Grannis said.