A Commerce Department official said that nobody from outside the department's office for trade cases had made any effort to interfere.

Four dozen steel companies and 21 foreign countries are defendants in the trade cases.

In dollar terms, that makes this the largest trade case in history.

Last year was a particularly bad one for the industry as measured by the criteria for trade cases, the lawyer said.

They calculated that trade cases might result in even greater protection from imports.

Former Clinton administration officials said they were also unconvinced that the trade case had merit.

The United States has lost trade cases before, but no loss comes close in dollar terms.

Without Super 301, some trade cases have dragged on unresolved for nearly a decade.

He said global trading rules prohibit using one trade case to influence another.

This is the approach most commonly discussed in restraint of trade cases.