Story perspectives

DOJ subpoenas NYT journalists in Air Force One leak probe

7/22/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued subpoenas on July 10, 2026 demanding NYT journalists’ phone records in a leak probe of Air Force One.
The subpoenas ordered Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton to testify before a Manhattan grand jury.
DOJ sought call-text logs from Jan 1, 2026 for two spouses—including a law-firm counsel—and a reporter’s mother, a mental-health professional.
The Times filed a motion on July 20, 2026 to quash the subpoenas, calling them a “bad-faith” attack.

History

Historical Context

In June 1971 the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling (New York Times Co. v. United States, 403 U.S. 713), rejected the Nixon administration’s effort to impose prior restraint on the Pentagon Papers, a 2.5-million-page classified study. The decision created a strong presumption against government censorship. Today the Justice Department’s subpoenas of New York Times reporters echo that clash, testing the 1971 precedent.

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Story summary

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued subpoenas on July 10, 2026 demanding NYT journalists’ phone records in a leak probe of Air Force One.
The subpoenas ordered Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton to testify before a Manhattan grand jury.
DOJ sought call-text logs from Jan 1, 2026 for two spouses—including a law-firm counsel—and a reporter’s mother, a mental-health professional.
The Times filed a motion on July 20, 2026 to quash the subpoenas, calling them a “bad-faith” attack.

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