{
  "id": 7,
  "slug": "2025-doj-rescinds-media-subpoena-guidelines",
  "title": "United States: Department of Justice rescission of rules limiting subpoenas of journalists, April 2025",
  "occurred_on": "2025-04-25",
  "occurred_on_precision": "day",
  "ended_on": null,
  "jurisdiction": "US",
  "country": "US",
  "continent": "north-america",
  "level": "national",
  "type": "subpoena_or_seizure",
  "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas",
  "leader_slug": "donald-trump",
  "issue_of_the_day": null,
  "outcome": "sustained",
  "outcome_on": "2025-04-25",
  "outcome_note": "In effect since 2025-04-25; the sources cited report no restoration of the earlier rules (as of 2026-09-22).",
  "granularity": "granular",
  "era": "2020s",
  "summary": "On April 25, 2025, the Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi, head of the Department of Justice, the federal department that prosecutes federal crimes, rescinded rules adopted in 2021 and 2022 under her predecessor, Merrick Garland, that barred prosecutors from seeking reporters' records or testimony to identify the sources of leaks. Bondi's memo said leaks of sensitive information to the media undermine the department's ability \"to uphold the rule of law, protect civil rights, and keep America safe.\" The department returned to a test that weighs law enforcement interests against press freedom, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a United States non-profit that provides legal help to journalists.{c:102}",
  "what_happened": "On April 25, 2025, the Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi, issued a memo rescinding Department of Justice rules, adopted in a 2021 memo and a 2022 rewrite of the department's media guidelines under Attorney General Merrick Garland, that set a firm rule against subpoenaing journalists' records or compelling their testimony to identify the sources of unauthorized leaks. A subpoena is a legal order that compels a person to testify or hand over records.{c:10}{c:11}{c:102}{c:103}\n\nThe rescission returned the department to a pre-2022 balancing test that weighs law enforcement interests against press freedom. The earlier rules had been adopted after it became known that the Department of Justice, during Trump's first term as president and later under President Joe Biden, had secretly obtained reporters' phone and email records.{c:10}{c:11}{c:102}{c:103}\n\nThe Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a United States non-profit that provides legal help to journalists, said leak investigations \"chill newsgathering and reporting in the public interest.\"{c:10}{c:11}{c:102}{c:103}\n\nStatus as of 2026-09-22: In effect. The sources cited report no restoration of the 2021 and 2022 rules.{c:103}",
  "stated_justification": "A Department of Justice memo said, \"Federal government employees intentionally leaking sensitive information to the media undermines the ability of the Department of Justice to uphold the rule of law, protect civil rights, and keep America safe.\"{c:10}",
  "effect_on_reporting": "Journalists who cover national security and law enforcement in the United States can again be subpoenaed for records or compelled to testify in leak investigations, which the 2021 and 2022 rules had been written to prevent.{c:11}",
  "unknowns": "The sources cited do not state whether the Department of Justice has subpoenaed a journalist under the restored balancing test (as of 2026-09-22).",
  "status": "in_effect",
  "status_updated_on": "2026-09-22",
  "external_ids": {},
  "illustration_key": null,
  "pub_state": "published",
  "published_at": "2026-09-22T20:02:24Z",
  "reviewed_on": "2026-09-22",
  "next_review_on": "2026-12-22",
  "revision": 23,
  "created_at": "2026-09-22T20:02:17Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-09-22T22:30:43Z",
  "country_name": "United States",
  "tactics": [
    "surveillance_and_subpoenas"
  ],
  "leader": {
    "slug": "donald-trump",
    "name": "Donald Trump",
    "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump"
  },
  "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-doj-rescinds-media-subpoena-guidelines",
  "page_meta": {
    "published": "2026-09-22T20:02:24Z",
    "reviewed": "2026-09-22",
    "sources": 1,
    "status": "in_effect",
    "statusAsOf": "2026-09-22",
    "unknowns": "The sources cited do not state whether the Department of Justice has subpoenaed a journalist under the restored balancing test (as of 2026-09-22)."
  },
  "actors": [
    {
      "slug": "pam-bondi",
      "name": "Pam Bondi",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "ordered",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/pam-bondi"
    },
    {
      "slug": "us-department-of-justice",
      "name": "United States Department of Justice",
      "kind": "body",
      "role": "enforced",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/us-department-of-justice"
    }
  ],
  "outlets": [],
  "journalists": [],
  "cases": [],
  "related": [],
  "events": [],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": 10,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 7,
      "field": "stated_justification",
      "value": "Leaks undermine DOJ's ability to enforce the law and protect national security",
      "statement": "A DOJ memo framed the rescission as necessary to combat leaks.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 27,
      "evidence_quote": "Federal government employees intentionally leaking sensitive information to the media undermines the ability of the Department of Justice to uphold the rule of law, protect civil rights, and keep America safe.",
      "evidence_date": "2025-04-25",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "seed-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T20:02:20Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 27,
        "url": "https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
        "final_url": "https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
        "title": "DOJ rescinds news media guidelines: analysis",
        "publisher": "Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press",
        "published_on": "2025-04-25",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
        "wayback_url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260917203552/https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
        "wayback_saved_at": "2026-09-22T20:48:03Z"
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/10"
    },
    {
      "id": 11,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 7,
      "field": "effect_on_reporting",
      "value": "Reporters again subject to subpoenas/compelled testimony in leak probes",
      "statement": "The rescission reopened the door to compelling journalists' testimony and records in leak investigations.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 27,
      "evidence_quote": "By their nature, leak investigations chill newsgathering and reporting in the public interest.",
      "evidence_date": "2025-04-25",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "seed-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T20:02:21Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 27,
        "url": "https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
        "final_url": "https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
        "title": "DOJ rescinds news media guidelines: analysis",
        "publisher": "Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press",
        "published_on": "2025-04-25",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
        "wayback_url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260917203552/https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
        "wayback_saved_at": "2026-09-22T20:48:03Z"
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/11"
    },
    {
      "id": 102,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 7,
      "field": "occurred_on",
      "value": "2025-04-25",
      "statement": "Attorney General Bondi rescinded the Biden-era media guidelines.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 27,
      "evidence_quote": "On April 25, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memorandum to all U.S. Department of Justice employees titled '[Updated Policy Regarding Obtaining Information From, or Records of, Members of the News Media]",
      "evidence_date": "2025-04-25",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "seed-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T20:48:36Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 27,
        "url": "https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
        "final_url": "https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
        "title": "DOJ rescinds news media guidelines: analysis",
        "publisher": "Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press",
        "published_on": "2025-04-25",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
        "wayback_url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260917203552/https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
        "wayback_saved_at": "2026-09-22T20:48:03Z"
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/102"
    },
    {
      "id": 103,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 7,
      "field": "status",
      "value": "In effect",
      "statement": "The rescission remains in force as of this writing.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 27,
      "evidence_quote": "The text of the revised regulation confirms that Bondi has rescinded the reforms implemented by former Attorney General Merrick Garland in a 2021 memo and the 2022 rewrite of the 50.10 guidelines.",
      "evidence_date": "2025-04-25",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "seed-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T20:48:37Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 27,
        "url": "https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
        "final_url": "https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
        "title": "DOJ rescinds news media guidelines: analysis",
        "publisher": "Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press",
        "published_on": "2025-04-25",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
        "wayback_url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260917203552/https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
        "wayback_saved_at": "2026-09-22T20:48:03Z"
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/103"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": 27,
      "url": "https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
      "final_url": "https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
      "title": "DOJ rescinds news media guidelines: analysis",
      "publisher": "Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press",
      "published_on": "2025-04-25",
      "link_state": "live",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
      "wayback_url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260917203552/https://www.rcfp.org/doj-rescinds-news-media-guidelines-analysis/",
      "wayback_saved_at": "2026-09-22T20:48:03Z"
    }
  ],
  "revisions_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-doj-rescinds-media-subpoena-guidelines/revisions",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
  },
  "cite_as": "United States: Department of Justice rescission of rules limiting subpoenas of journalists, April 2025. The War On News, thewaronnews.com. https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-doj-rescinds-media-subpoena-guidelines. Retrieved 2026-09-22."
}