In a situation that raised questions about the privacy of the press and the protection of secret sources in the United States, a federal judge in Virginia prohibited the Department of Justice ( DOJ) from immediately reviewing the electronic equipment seized from a Washington Post columnist.

Federal Magistrate Judge William Porter's determination, which was made on Tuesday, establishes that the jury will conduct an impartial review of the information that was seized from blogger Hannah Natanson, and not by government officials.

Last month, the FBI raided Natanson's Virginia home to seize her cell phone, tablets, smartwatches, and external hard drives as part of an investigation into a government contractor who was later accused of allegedly leaking classified information.

Experts and push organizations found the action uncommon because journalists typically enjoy special safeguards when they are not directly the subject of a criminal investigation.

Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the president's actions, stating that the government's goal is to find the person concerned for "illegal leaking" that pose" a significant risk to national protection. "

The Washington Post's attorneys argued in court before the judge that allowing the government to immediately evaluate the devices would violate the First Amendment to the Constitution, which protects the right to the press, and could also expose sensitive sources.

For its part, the state argued that independent squads could examine the data and dissect any privileged data before it was presented to the prosecution in the case.

Judge Porter, however, rebutted that claim with the powerful statement that allowing the government group to examine a reporter's work was equivalent to "putting the fox in charge of the nest at the Washington Post. " If the authorities were to examine the literary material, the judge expressed concern about potential errors, carelessness, or administrative conflicts. According to Porter, the judge was directed to do an independent judicial review and to gain any information that lacked the scope of the search warrant to Natanson. The newspaper was subsequently requested to transfer the devices to the writer, but the judge rejected that demand, arguing that the case involved confidential national security information that might need extra protection before returning it.

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