Claim 339

Garland's memo barred the department from using compulsory process to obtain journalists' newsgathering records.

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 1 source.

Statement: Garland's memo barred the department from using compulsory process to obtain journalists' newsgathering records.
Field: occurred_on
Value: 2021-07-19
About: incident 2021-doj-bans-seizing-reporters-records-garland
Source: Attorney General Merrick Garland restricts efforts to seize reporters' records
Publisher: CBS News
Method: outlet report
Checked: 2026-09-22
Confidence: medium
Status: current
Source date: 2021-07-19

Quotation from the source

Because a free and independent press is vital to the functioning of our democracy, the Department of Justice has long employed procedural protections and a balancing test to restrict the use of compulsory process to obtain information from or records of members of the media.