The issue focused on information law enforcement officials were seeking to access in court. Law enforcement officials said that federal courts have legal rights to block criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits from being served on companies for illegal activity.

In the lawsuit, lawyers for Microsoft accused federal prosecutors of illegally ordering them to turn over court records that could show what court rulings law enforcement wanted to see. The Justice Department attorneys alleged that law enforcement officials used court orders to conduct surveillance on Internet users and financial institutions.

A spokesman for the Department