A federal judge has ruled that an FBI raid in May on Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson's Capitol Hill offices was constitutional, saying, "There was no impermissible intrusion on the legislature."

The search of Jefferson's office on the weekend of May 20th was the first ever of a congressman's office in the history of Congress.

Judge Thomas Hogan ruled that there is "No support for the proposition that a member of Congress must be given advance notice of a search."

Robert Trout, Jefferson's attorney has told NBC that he will likely appeal the judge's ruling. Trout says his goal is to have the seized materials returned to Jefferson.

Also at issue, a provision in the U.S. Constitution - known as the Speech and Debate Clause - which protects Members of Congress from being questioned by the president, a prosecutor or a plaintiff in a lawsuit concerning their legislative work.

In his ruling, Judge Hogan says, "Congressman Jefferson has not been made to answer, either in terms of questions or in terms of defending himself from prosecution, for speech or activities done in furtherance of the legislative process. Therefore, the search did not violate the Speech or Debate Clause."