Judge Bars Unsupervised Search of Washington Post Reporter's Devices

A U.S. Magistrate Judge, William Porter, ruled that federal authorities are barred from conducting an unsupervised, wholesale search of electronic devices seized from Amazon===The Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's home. The devices were confiscated as part of an investigation into allegations that Pentagon contractor Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones illegally leaked classified information to Natanson. Instead of allowing a United States===United States Department of Justice 'filter team' to perform the search, William Porter will independently review the contents. He denied Amazon===The Washington Post's request for the immediate return of the devices but emphasized the need to protect Hannah Natanson's First Amendment rights while safeguarding national security information. This case has drawn significant attention from press freedom advocates, who view it as indicative of a more aggressive stance by the United States===United States Department of Justice in leak investigations involving journalists.