A federal judge has criticized the Justice Department for failing to inform him of a law intended to protect journalists from government searches and seizures when it asked for permission to raid a Washington Post reporter’s home earlier this year. The Reporter Protection Act of 1980 is designed to safeguard journalists’ work product materials, except in cases where they are directly involved in a criminal investigation.
Judge William Porter had declined previous requests for warrants from the Post reporter, Hannah Natanson, citing concerns about the law’s applicability. However, when DOJ lawyers suggested it didn’t apply, the judge was surprised and frustrated. “How could you miss it?” he asked. The department argued that decisions above them made this assessment, but the judge countered, saying it wasn’t minimizing the issue.
The raid on Natanson’s home in April resulted in the seizure of her phone, two computers, and a Garmin watch. While she is not under investigation, her communications with a government contractor who leaked classified information led to the search warrant request. Press freedom advocates have criticized the department for ignoring key protections for journalists, including not disclosing the law.
Judge Porter has temporarily blocked investigators from examining some of the seized devices, but is weighing a request to return them or set up a process for reviewing and separating relevant information from unrelated data. The judge seems sympathetic to Natanson’s argument that more material was seized than necessary but is hesitant to order the Justice Department to turn over all devices. Instead, he proposes setting up a “filter team” to review the data and determine what fits within the parameters of the search warrant.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/20/politics/judge-rips-washington-post-fbi-reporter-warrant