At the request of the House Judiciary Committee, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday morning granted limited immunity to former Justice Department aide Monica Goodling in exchange for her Congressional testimony.

A former counsel to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and White House liaison, Goodling resigned from Justice as the probe into why Justice fired eight U.S. attorneys in 2006 unfolded.

The department has encouraged other senior Justice officials to testify before Congress, but Goodling asserted her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The House counsel applied for immunity to compel Goodling’s testimony after two-thirds of the Judiciary Committee voted to seek it.

Goodling is thought to have played a key role in the prosecutor firings as one of Gonzales’ top aides. Goodling also is under internal investigation by the Justice Department for allegedly improperly hiring lower-ranking prosecutors on the basis of political affiliation.

It is unclear when Goodling will actually come to Capitol Hill to testify.

— Rachel Van Dongen