A lawyer for Suffolk Sheriff Steve W. Tompkins asked a federal judge Wednesday to throw out years of his client’s emails seized by federal agents who investigated him for alleged extortion.

The request is the latest by Tompkins to challenge what federal prosecutors say is evidence that he extorted a cannabis company by threatening to revoke a partnership with his office that was central to the business’s licensing application .

Tompkins has pleaded not guilty. He is on leave from his role as sheriff, an elected position, and sat with his defense lawyer during a 30-minute hearing on Wednesday in US District Court in Boston.

Tompkins has been fighting for his freedom and political future on different fronts.

Last week, he established a legal defense fund with the state Office of Ca

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