Judge blocks government review of seized Washington Post materials in press-freedom ruling

A federal judge issued a temporary order barring the government from reviewing the Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s seized materials, delaying any examination until a February 6 hearing in The Post’s suit for their return. The Post argues the seizure chills First Amendment rights and newsroom work; the government says the search was tied to a contractor accused of removing classified documents. Natanson is not the subject of an investigation, and the seized devices span years of reporting and confidential sources.