DOJ Faces FOIA Lawsuit Seeking Records on FBI Raid of Washington Post Reporter
The Freedom of the Press Foundation has sued the Department of Justice under the Freedom of Information Act, seeking records tied to the FBI’s January search of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home. According to the organization, the records could reveal whether federal prosecutors withheld information about the Privacy Protection Act, a federal law that generally restricts searches of journalists and newsrooms, when seeking judicial approval for warrants.
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The lawsuit follows a federal judge’s decision to block searches of Natanson’s devices after finding concerns with how the government presented the case. Press-freedom advocates argue the dispute goes beyond a single warrant and could reveal whether federal officials adopted broader practices that weaken legal protections for journalists.
The case also arrives after the Trump administration rolled back Biden-era restrictions that had made it significantly harder for federal investigators to obtain journalists’ records in leak investigations. Press organizations warned those changes could make confidential-source reporting more vulnerable.
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