A federal judge on Thursday cleared the way for the Justice Department to move forward with its case against Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey, who was accused of assaulting immigration agents outside of a privately run detention center in Newark.

McIver’s team—and Democrats more broadly—have long insisted that the charges are selective and retaliatory, arguing that she did nothing wrong and was acting squarely within her authority as a lawmaker to inspect the facility.

Her attorneys, who maintain that she’s innocent, told The New York Times that they’re reviewing the ruling and plan to appeal now that the judge has rejected her immunity claims.

In his 41-page decision, Judge Jamel K. Semper dismissed McIver’s argument that she’s protected by constitutional safeguards for le

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