A federal judge on Wednesday gave the go ahead to part of a lawsuit that accuses President Donald Trump of flouting constitutional safeguards against corruption by maintaining ownership of his business empire while in office.

U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte in Greenbelt, Maryland refused a request by the Justice Department to throw out the case entirely, although he narrowed the claims to include only those involving the Trump International Hotel in Washington and not Trump's businesses outside of the U.S. capital.