(CNN)A federal judge is set to decide whether to accept the Justice Department's argument that President Donald Trump acted in his official capacity when denying a rape claim made by a longtime magazine columnist, after planned oral arguments to discuss the matter were thwarted Wednesday when a department lawyer was barred from entering the courthouse due to New York's coronavirus-related restrictions.

The former columnist, E. Jean Carroll, has accused Trump of raping her in a dressing room at a luxury Manhattan department store in the 1990s and is suing him for defamation.

The Justice Department is seeking to replace the President as the defendant in the case and has argued in court filings that Trump's response to Carroll's claims was an effort to preserve his ability to perform the duties of the presidency.