A federal magistrate judge in Virginia has prevented government prosecutors from examining electronic equipment confiscated from Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson during a national security leak probe, ruling Tuesday that the court will oversee the review process instead.
Federal agents conducted a search of Natanson’s residence in January as part of their investigation into leaked classified information. The journalist, who has reported extensively on former President Donald Trump’s efforts to dismiss large numbers of federal employees, has not been charged with any criminal activity.
U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter determined that court oversight of the device examination would properly protect journalists’ constitutional rights while allowing investigators to pursue evidence in matters involving national security.
“Accordingly, the court rejects the government’s request to conduct an unsupervised, wholesale search of all … seized data,” Porter stated in his decision.
Government attorneys had contended that accessing the materials was essential for their investigation into unauthorized release of classified government information. Department of Justice officials proposed using a separate team of FBI personnel, uninvolved in the main investigation, to examine the confiscated items and filter out irrelevant materials.
Press freedom organizations have criticized the search as a threat to journalistic independence and the ability of reporters to protect their sources.
