WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge ruled on Thursday that Congress in its fight with the Bush administration can subpoena current and former top White House aides in its investigation over the firing of U.S. attorneys.

U.S. District Judge John Bates, who was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush, rejected the administration's arguments that the aides were immune from such subpoenas and that Congress cannot force them to testify or turn over certain documents.

In a lengthy ruling totaling nearly 100 pages, he rejected the administration's request to dismiss the lawsuit that had been filed by the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee in March.

The lawsuit seeks to get testimony or documents from White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers.

The lawsuit charged that Bolten and Miers, cited by the House for contempt of Congress, defied subpoenas by refusing to testify or provide documents in the long-running investigation into the administration's 2006 firing of nine of the 93 U.S. attorneys.

It marked the first time the House or the Senate had ever filed a lawsuit to enforce a subpoena aimed at the White House.

Disclosure of the firings prompted charges by Democratic lawmakers that the dismissals were politically motivated and led to the resignations of a number of top Justice Department officials, including the departure under fire nearly a year ago of Alberto Gonzales as U.S. attorney general.

Bates ruled that Miers is required to testify under the subpoena, but she still may invoke executive privilege in response to specific questions.