Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press v. Office of the Attorney General

Case Number: 1:25-cv-02015

Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Client: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Background: In April 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memorandum to all U.S. Department of Justice employees outlining changes to the DOJ’s internal policy — often known as the “news media guidelines” — that governs the use of subpoenas, court orders, and search warrants targeting journalists or their third-party communications or other service providers. The Justice Department later published its revised regulation, which eliminated critical protections for journalists that were implemented by former Attorney General Merrick Garland.

In May 2025, an attorney from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press submitted two separate Freedom of Information Act requests to several components of the Justice Department seeking access to records related to the policy revisions, including emails to or from Bondi and other senior government officials. 

While government officials acknowledged receipt of the two requests, they did not provide any determination or turn over any records, prompting Reporters Committee attorneys to file this lawsuit alleging that the government violated FOIA by failing to comply with statutory deadlines and wrongfully withholding records.

Related: To learn more about the recent revisions to the news media guidelines and what they mean for journalists, check out this detailed special analysis by Gabe Rottman, the Reporters Committee’s vice president of policy.

Filings:

2025-06-27: Complaint