A federal judge on Friday deferred ruling on the Justice Department’s request to drop the corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams of New York City, and appointed an outside lawyer to present independent arguments on the motion, which was otherwise unopposed.

The lawyer the judge appointed, Paul Clement, is a political conservative who was the U.S. solicitor general during President George W. Bush’s administration.

The judge, Dale E. Ho of Federal District Court in Manhattan, also called for additional briefs from the parties and said he would hold an oral argument for March 14 if he felt it was necessary.

Judge Ho’s decision, explained in a five-page ruling, will prolong a tumultuous episode that has led to political and legal upheavals, with federal prosecutors in New York and Washington resigning and several of Mr. Adams’s campaign opponents calling for him to step down.

The events have increased pressure on Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said on Thursday that she would seek to impose strict new guardrails on the mayor’s administration rather than try to force him out of office.

This is a developing story and will be updated.