# Incidents: surveillance and subpoenas in North America, national level

Each incident is a dated action by a government, an official, a regulator, a court or a legislature that limited journalists' ability to gather or publish news.

The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.

Filters: country, continent, tactic, stage, from, to, level, actor, leader, outlet, outcome, source_kind, has_case, plus q, sort (date, date_asc, country, tactic, relevance), per_page (up to 100), page and view (table or cards), as query parameters.

14 incidents match this view.

| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| July 10, 2026 | [Customs officers seize Grayzone editor's phones at Virginia airport over Iran reporting](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-cbp-seizes-grayzone-editor-phones-airport) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump) | Reversed (July 17, 2026) |
| April 25, 2025 | [United States: Department of Justice rescission of rules limiting subpoenas of journalists, April 2025](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-doj-rescinds-media-subpoena-guidelines) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump) | Sustained (April 25, 2025) |
| November 6, 2021 | [FBI raids Project Veritas founder's home over Ashley Biden diary investigation](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2021-fbi-raids-project-veritas-founder-okeefe) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Joe Biden](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/joe-biden) | Unknown |
| July 19, 2021 | [Justice Department bars seizing reporters' phone and email records](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2021-doj-bans-seizing-reporters-records-garland) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Joe Biden](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/joe-biden) | Reversed (April 25, 2025) |
| June 19, 2017 | [Mexico: journalist Carmen Aristegui receives Pegasus spyware through phishing texts](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2017-mexico-aristegui-pegasus-spyware) | [Mexico](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/mx) (RSF rank: not recorded) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Enrique Pena Nieto](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/enrique-pena-nieto) | Unknown (June 20, 2017) |
| October 17, 2014 | [United States pursues New York Times reporter James Risen's testimony for years before dropping its demand for his source](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2014-us-james-risen-subpoena-jeffrey-sterling) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Barack Obama](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/barack-obama) | Reversed (October 17, 2014) |
| October 10, 2013 | [United States: Espionage Act prosecutions of sources for leaks to the press, 2009 to 2013](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2013-obama-doj-charges-eight-under-espionage-act) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Secrets and espionage laws](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/secrets_and_espionage_laws) | [Barack Obama](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/barack-obama) | Unknown |
| May 20, 2013 | [United States search warrant names Fox News reporter James Rosen a possible co-conspirator in a leak case](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2013-us-doj-names-fox-reporter-co-conspirator) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Barack Obama](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/barack-obama) | Sustained (July 12, 2013) |
| May 13, 2013 | [United States Justice Department secretly seizes two months of Associated Press phone records](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2013-us-doj-seizes-ap-phone-records) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Barack Obama](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/barack-obama) | Sustained (July 12, 2013) |
| July 6, 2005 | [New York Times reporter Judith Miller jailed for refusing to name a confidential source in the Valerie Plame affair](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2005-us-judith-miller-jailed-plame-source) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [George W. Bush](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/george-w-bush) | Upheld by a court (September 29, 2005) |
| September 9, 1971 | [United States: Nixon White House "enemies list" naming journalists, September 1971](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1971-nixon-white-house-compiles-enemies-list) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Richard Nixon](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/richard-nixon) | Unknown |
| August 16, 1971 | [Nixon White House compiles an enemies list naming journalists for official pressure](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1971-us-nixon-enemies-list) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Richard Nixon](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/richard-nixon) | Reversed (June 27, 1973) |
| 1969 | [United States Supreme Court rules reporters have no privilege to refuse grand jury subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1972-us-branzburg-v-hayes-reporters-privilege) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Richard Nixon](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/richard-nixon) | Upheld by a court (June 29, 1972) |
| November 1955 | [United States Senate panel subpoenas dozens of New York Times journalists over Communist ties](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1955-us-eastland-subcommittee-subpoenas-new-york-times) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Surveillance and subpoenas](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/surveillance_and_subpoenas) | [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/dwight-d-eisenhower) | Sustained (December 1, 1956) |

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