SAN FRANCISCO — U.S. District Judge William Alsup lashed out Tuesday against state labor regulators for interfering in the payment of a paralegal for work she performed on federal cases under the Criminal Justice Act, including a major gang prosecution he presided over.

"I believe your position is going to wreck an important act of Congress, and I don’t even think you realize it," Alsup told lawyers with the state Department of Labor Standards Enforcement.