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By Nikita Vladimorov, The Hill–

A federal judge is ordering Hillary Clinton to respond to questions in writing from the conservative legal watchdog Judicial Watch about the private email server she used as secretary of State.
Judicial Watch, which has filed a lawsuit against Clinton over her email use, has sought to force Clinton to answer questions in person, which would have allowed attorneys to ask follow-up questions.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan turned that request aside, however, ruling “less burdensome” efforts were required.
“Judicial Watch’s argument that a deposition is preferable in this case because of the ability to ask follow-up questions is not persuasive,” Sullivan wrote.
“Given the extensive public record related to the clintonemail.com system, a record which Judicial Watch has acknowledged, Judicial Watch will be able to anticipate many follow-up questions. For those follow-up questions that Judicial Watch is unable to anticipate, it can move this Court for permission to serve additional interrogatories,” he added.
Judicial Watch said it was nonetheless pleased with the decision.
“We are pleased that this federal court ordered Hillary Clinton to provide written answers under oath to some key questions about her email scandal,” the group’s president Tom Fitton said in a statement. “We will move quickly to get these answers. The decision is a reminder that Hillary Clinton is not above the law.”
The Clinton presidential campaign has repeatedly cast Judicial Watch as a long-term opponent of Clinton’s that had been attacking her since the 1990s.
“This is just another lawsuit intended to try to hurt Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and so we are glad that the judge has accepted our offer to answer these questions in writing rather than grant Judicial Watch’s request,” Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement reported by Fox News.