A federal judge has barred U.S. government officials from searching electronic devices seized last week from a journalist working for The Washington Post, in a move understood by observers as a measure to protect press freedom.
Judge William Porter issued a ruling stating that the materials confiscated from journalist Hannah Natanson cannot be reviewed while a legal case regarding a search of her home is pending. He emphasized that the government must retain the seized items without accessing them until a subsequent court order permits such action.
Natanson covers news related to the U.S. federal government and had reported on employee layoffs in Washington following President Donald Trump’s second term inauguration.
The Washington Post reported that authorities seized her professional and personal computers, mobile phone, and smartwatch during a raid on her home in Virginia on January 14.
For her part, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that the search is part of an investigation related to an alleged leak from the U.S. Department of Defense, amid increasing restrictions imposed on the media since Trump returned to the presidency.
FBI agents informed the journalist that she is not a target of the investigation; however, critics warned that this action could establish a dangerous precedent that threatens press freedom in the United States.
In a statement, The Washington Post said that the confiscation of the journalist’s news-gathering tools “restricts freedom of expression and obstructs journalistic work, causing irreparable harm as long as the government retains these materials.”
The newspaper urged the court to issue an immediate order for the return of all seized materials and to prohibit their use, warning that any lesser action could encourage future raids on newsrooms and normalize surveillance through search warrants.
