DOJ Faces Lawsuit Seeking Records on Press Protections in Reporter Raids
A press-freedom fight over the Justice Department is moving into federal court.
Freedom of the Press Foundation has sued DOJ under the Freedom of Information Act, seeking records on whether prosecutors withheld information about the Privacy Protection Act when seeking warrants involving journalists. The lawsuit follows the FBI raid on Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home, where agents seized electronic devices.
The case is not just about one search. Press-freedom groups are treating it as part of a larger dispute over how the Trump administration’s Justice Department handles reporters, leak investigations and source-protection rules.
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That concern intensified after Attorney General Pam Bondi rescinded Biden-era restrictions that had limited DOJ’s ability to seek journalists’ records or compel testimony in leak probes.
Thirty-one press-freedom and civil-liberties groups condemned the Natanson search and urged Congress to strengthen protections for reporters.
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