DOJ's move to defend Trump in defamation suit isn't without precedent

E. Jean Carroll was quick to respond to the Department of Justice’s move to defend President Donald Trump against her defamation lawsuit, tweeting that it was “UNPRECEDENTED.”

“TRUMP HURLS BILL BARR AT ME. Just when @realDonaldTrump is required to produce documents and DNA in discovery, he sics the DOJ on us. THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED!!” Carroll tweeted shortly after the filing on Tuesday.

But this is not “UNPRECEDENTED.” It happens fairly often that DOJ substitutes the United States for an individual federal employee in a lawsuit. Moreover, courts usually permit the...