The agreement between HPE and Juniper continues to be criticized by the states after the approval of the Department of Justice

(Bloomberg)– A federal judge set ground rules for a dozen states to mount a legal challenge to the Justice Department’s approval of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks, amid accusations that the deal was politically tainted.

The order issued Wednesday sets the stage for a Colorado-led group of state attorneys general to investigate what led federal antitrust authorities to reach a deal with the companies that allows the merger to go ahead.

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U.S. District Judge Casey Pitts in San Jose, California, ruled last month that states can seek more information about the controversial deal, leading to the firing of two Justice Department officials who objected to the tactics used by HPE to close the acquisition. But the two sides differ over the scope of the Tunney Act, a 1974 law that requires judicial approval of Justice Department antitrust settlements.

In Wednesday’s order, Pitts wrote…