Judge orders government not to review devices seized from Washington Post reporter

A federal magistrate judge on Wednesday ordered the government not to review materials seized during a search of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home last week, the court said. Magistrate Judge William B. Porter granted The Post and Ms. Natanson what he described as “good cause” to maintain the “status quo” while the matter is litigated.

The Post filed the motion after the F.B.I. searched Ms. Natanson’s home and seized two laptops (one owned by the newspaper), a company iPhone, a portable hard drive, a Garmin watch and a voice recorder. The newspaper argued in its filing that the searches violated the First Amendment and demanded the return of the items, saying, “The seizure chills speech, cripples reporting and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on protected materials.” The search was conducted in connection with the investigation of Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a government contractor accused of taking home intelligence reports that were found in his basement and in a lunchbox.

Key Topics

Politics, Hannah Natanson, Fbi, William B. Porter, Aurelio Perez-lugones, Signal