Overview
- U.S. Magistrate Judge William B. Porter barred prosecutors from searching Hannah Natanson’s phone, laptops, recorder, hard drive and smartwatch after the Post sought their return.
- FBI agents seized the devices on Jan. 14 at Natanson’s Virginia home during a leak probe focused on contractor Aurelio Perez‑Lugones, who is charged with unlawfully retaining national defense information.
- Court filings note Perez‑Lugones has not been accused of leaking to the media, while the Post argues the raid violates the First Amendment and the Privacy Protection Act and has chilled confidential sources.
- The judge’s order lets the government retain the hardware but prohibits any review of data; a hearing is scheduled for early February following the DOJ’s Jan. 28 filing deadline.
- The clash follows Attorney General Pam Bondi’s revision of DOJ news media guidelines restoring broader use of subpoenas and search warrants in leak cases, a shift criticized by press‑freedom advocates.