Judge Ellis - who sparred with Mueller's attorneys about their prosecution of Paul Manafort - has denied the former Trump campaign chair's challenge to the special counsel's authority. Manafort has now lost on this issue in both DC and VA. 
Judge Ellis goes out of his way to address arguments Manafort didn't raise, including one that's been circulating online that Mueller's appointment violated the Appointments Clause.
Here's what came of Judge Ellis' request to see an unredacted copy of the memo laying out the scope of Mueller's investigation:
Ellis says the case against Manafort is obviously related to the special counsel's charge of investigating links between Russia and the Trump campaign. "The Special Counsel followed the money paid by pro-Russian officials to defendant."
This is yet another categorical rejection of Manafort's challenge to the special counsel's authority.
To be clear, although he found Mueller's appointment to be both legal and constitutional, Judge Ellis does not like special prosecutors.
Judge Ellis says "even a blind person can see that the true target of the Special Counsel's investigation is President Trump," and that the charges against Manafort "are intended to induce defendant to cooperate."
"These kinds of high-pressure prosecutorial tactics are neither uncommon nor illegal." (Though he doesn't like them.)
TL;DR, none of the things Ellis gave Mueller's lawyers a hard time about last month really factored into his decision, which broadly upholds the special counsel's authority.
Basically, Judge Ellis seems like a judge who muses.
Basically, Judge Ellis seems like a judge who muses.
