NYT Subpoenas Withdrawn

DOJ drops subpoenas targeting three New York Times reporters after legal errors.

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Trump DOJ withdraws subpoenas targeting New York Times journalists amid leak probe

The Trump Administration Is on a Legal Losing Streak

DOJ agrees to withdraw subpoenas for New York Times journalists

Summary

A neutral summary of the key facts most outlets agree on, drawn from reporting across the political spectrum.

The Justice Department on Thursday agreed to withdraw subpoenas seeking grand jury testimony and phone records from three New York Times reporters over their reporting on security concerns involving President Donald Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. The subpoenas also targeted call records held by phone providers and, in some accounts, records tied to reporters’ family members. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian pressed prosecutors in Manhattan on why they issued the demands before exhausting alternative investigative steps. The Times had moved to quash the subpoenas, arguing they threatened source confidentiality.

The Coverage

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What the analysis & opinion pieces argue

Press freedom threat

Seeking New York Times reporters’ phone records, including records tied to family members, was a direct threat to press freedom. The subpoenas punished journalism on sensitive security matters and endangered reporters’ ability to do their work.

Anti-media retreat

The withdrawal of subpoenas was a Trump administration climbdown in its campaign against critical media. It amounted to another legal setback after the effort ran into judicial resistance.