Judge Blocks DOJ From Analyzing Reporter's Devices

Hannah Natanson

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Justice Department from reviewing any materials seized from Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's electronic devices.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William B. Porter granted the newspaper's request for a "standstill order" on Wednesday, shortly after The Post filed an emergency motion. He ordered that the government "must preserve but must not review" the seized materials until the court issues further authorization. Oral arguments are scheduled for February 6.

The ruling follows an FBI raid on Natanson's home last week, during which agents seized two phones, two laptops, a Garmin watch, a portable hard drive, and a recording device. The search warrant relates to an investigation into Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones, a government contractor with top-level security clearances who was arrested on January 8 and charged with illegally retaining classified documents.

The Washington Post condemned the seizure as a violation of First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press, as well as federal safeguards for journalists. In court filings, the newspaper argued that an unrestrained search of a reporter's newsgathering tools threatens source confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, and press freedom, and demanded the immediate return of all seized items.

Natanson has not been accused of any wrongdoing. It is not a crime in the U.S. for journalists to receive or report on leaked classified information, even if the source faces charges.

The raid drew widespread criticism as government seizures of reporters' records are exceedingly rare. FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi have publicly alleged that Perez-Lugones leaked classified Pentagon files to a Washington Post journalist. 

However, court documents charge him only with unlawful retention of classified materials—not with leaking them to the media.

The Post filed the motions in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia after learning that substantive review of Natanson's devices could begin this week. The standstill order maintains the status quo while the court considers the broader issues.