A federal appeals court has ordered Virginia’s attorney general to back away from threats of suing a privacy advocate who publishes Social Security numbers of elected officials on the internet. The decision by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals means Betty Ostergren avoids being sued by the state’s top law enforcement official for breaching a state law that prohibits publication of such information. The Richmond, Virginia-based court, however, stopped short of striking down the law, which was adopted in 2008 and carries civil penalties of about $3,500 per violation. Instead, a three-judge panel said the regulation breached Ostergren’s First Amendment rights as ...