Twitter Barred from Disclosing ‘National Security’ Information Requests, Ninth Circuit Says

The FBI restricted what Twitter could publish in its biannual “Transparency Report,” but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled March 6 in a 2-1 decision that it was not a violation of the company’s freedom of speech.

Trump Isn’t Immune to Capitol Riot Lawsuits, the Department of Justice Says

In a brief filed March 2 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the U.S. Department of Justice told the federal appeals court that former President Donald Trump should not be immune to the civil-damages lawsuits filed against him by legislators and injured Capitol police as a result of the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021.

Julian Assange, the Espionage Act and Dangerous Press Freedom Implications

Julian Assange is the first publisher in history to be charged with the World War I-era Espionage Act, igniting pushback from journalists around the world who say this could threaten press freedoms and endanger First Amendment protections.

Attorney General Garland Announces Protections for Journalists, News Gathering

U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced Oct. 26 a revised news media policy that bars the Department of Justice from using subpoenas or other legal processes against journalists to obtain information they’ve retrieved while news gathering.

Recently Unsealed Court Records Shed Light on Why DoJ Targeted Washington Post Journalists

For months, the three reporters were left in the dark as to why the Justice Department had targeted them and who might have authorized the seizures. Now, thanks to newly unsealed court documents related to the investigation, they finally have some answers.

FAW Public Forum: Media Leak Investigations and the First Amendment

Watch our panel discussion with the Reporters Committee's Gabe Rottman, and two Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalists–Ellen Nakashima from The Washington Post & Charlie Savage from The New York Times–to talk about the history of media leak investigations and their impact on press freedom.

DOJ Abandons Pre-Publication Review Lawsuit Against John Bolton

The Department of Justice has dropped lawsuit against former National Security Adviser John Bolton over his memoir, “The Room Where It Happened.” The agency originally claimed the memoir contained confidential information, and had requested a court order blocking the publisher from distributing copies of the book.

Attorney General Meets With Media Leaders to Tighten Rules on Leak Investigations

On June 14, Attorney General Merrick Garland met with leaders of The New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post to strengthen rules for obtaining journalists' records during leak investigations. The meeting took place after several reports emerged saying that the Department of Justice, under the Trump administration, had secretly subpoenaed journalists’ phone and email logs in an effort to uncover sources in stories that had been leaked to the press.