A recent New York Times report that Hillary Clinton skirted federal-records laws as secretary of state by exclusively using a private e-mail system to conduct official business set off a wave of criticism. But Mrs. Clinton and her defenders insist that she followed all applicable rules and regulations. Is this claim correct?

It certainly doesn’t look so. From Mrs. Clinton’s own account of her e-mail practices, she appears to have ignored civil laws designed to preserve and protect the official records of the federal government. There are also serious questions about whether her conduct complied with federal criminal law — questions …