A federal judge in Virginia refused to immediately rule on the Washington Post’s request for the government to return devices seized from reporter Hannah Natanson during a January raid of her home. The judge, William B Porter, acknowledged the significance of the seizure, stating that it has “basically deprived Ms Natanson of her life’s work.” He expressed concerns about public confidence being lost if the government reviews information protected by the First Amendment.
Lawyers for the Post argued that the government’s possession of Natanson’s devices is damaging to her journalism and freedom of the press. In contrast, lawyers for the government claimed that the material on the devices was necessary for their investigation into a contractor accused of possessing classified materials.
The judge paused the government’s search of the devices but did not rule on the Post’s request. He mentioned that the court could undertake a document review process, which would be preferable to the government handling it. The judge also expressed frustration with the government’s failure to disclose a law protecting journalists during the warrant application.
A follow-up hearing has been scheduled for March 4.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/20/judge-washington-post-raid-case