A federal judge in Manhattan indicated on Tuesday that he may partially unseal a government search warrant and supporting documents stemming from the F.B.I.’s investigation of a large cache of emails belonging to Huma Abedin, a top aide to Hillary Clinton.

The discovery of the emails occurred during an unrelated investigation of Ms. Abedin’s estranged husband, Anthony D. Weiner, the disgraced former congressman who has been under scrutiny by federal prosecutors in Manhattan over allegations that he exchanged illicit text messages with a 15-year-old girl.

But the inquiry itself — because of its timing and unusual public disclosure — took on greater implications. Less than two weeks before Election Day, the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, disclosed the inquiry in a letter to Congress, saying that the emails, which the F.B.I. had not yet examined, “appear to be pertinent.”

Mr. Comey later told Congress that the inquiry did not change the bureau’s conclusion that Mrs. Clinton should face no charges over her handling of classified information.