Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that policies limiting subpoenas and search warrants against journalists are now codified. Justice Department lawyers will be trained in the new policies. The department must now avoid using investigative tools against journalists with exceptions for national security and public safety. (CBS News, October 26, 2022, by Robert Legare)
Garland solidified policies in place in July of 2021 after it was revealed that former Attorney General Bill Barr secretly sought the telephone records of New York Times and Washington Post reporters. Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger still wants Congress to enact a federal shield law to extend the protections past the current administration. (The New York Times, October 26, 2022, by Charlie Savage)