FBI officials have signaled they will eventually turn over any State Department documents they obtain, lawyers said — but there is no time frame for doing so.

"We haven't recovered anything from the FBI," said Lisa A. Olson, the Justice Department lawyer handling the case.

The urgency of the case has declined after the election, which saw Ms. Abedin's boss, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, suffer a shocking defeat.

A hearing that in the weeks ahead of the election drew massive interest from reporters instead saw less than a handful now. "What a shock that we have less interest today than in past hearings," Judge James E. Boasberg said as he surveyed the empty courtroom.