Judge Blocks DOJ Subpoenas Targeting NYT Reporters Over Trump Air Force One Leak

In early July 2026, President Donald Trump returned from a NATO summit in Turkey on an older aircraft after the U.S. Secret Service intervened to keep him off a newly delivered Qatari-donated Air Force One. The new plane, a Boeing jet gifted by Qatar, was reported to lack the missile-defense and other protective systems of previous presidential aircraft. The New York Times published two stories detailing those security concerns, prompting a federal investigation into the alleged leak of classified defense information.

The Jerusalem Post

• July 8, 2026 – President Trump switches to the older Air Force One after arriving on the Qatari-gifted jet.

The Jerusalem Post

• July 10 – The Justice Department issues subpoenas demanding grand-jury testimony and phone-record disclosures from Times journalists and, inadvertently, from relatives of two reporters.

US Justice Department Drops New York Times Subpoenas After Judicial Rebuke

• Thursday (date not specified in source ledger) – U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian holds a hearing in Manhattan, rebukes the subpoenas, and threatens sanctions against the prosecutors.

NPR

During the hearing, Judge Subramanian questioned the legal basis for the subpoenas, noting that seeking journalists’ testimony is meant to be a “last resort.” He cited binding precedent protecting press freedom and highlighted the Justice Department’s own policy that such measures require top-level approval. After the judge warned that he would quash the subpoenas if they were not withdrawn, the Justice Department’s legal team complied and dropped the demands.

US Justice Department Drops New York Times Subpoenas After Judicial Rebuke

• Deputy U.S. Attorney Sean Buckley declined comment to NPR but had earlier described the subpoenas as a “last resort” given the information available at the time. He referenced Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche as having authorized the subpoenas, which the law permits to supersede journalistic protections.

NPR

The Justice Department’s spokesperson publicly rebuked Judge Subramanian, arguing that his ruling blocked the grand jury from receiving “core evidence” in a national-security investigation. The statement framed the judge’s intervention as an overreach that could impede the pursuit of leakers.

US Justice Department Drops New York Times Subpoenas After Judicial Rebuke

Katherine Marsh, wife of Times reporter Julian E. Barnes, recounted that armed FBI agents arrived at her home while she and her family watched a movie. She described the experience as “really un-American,” emphasizing the personal impact of the subpoenas on journalists’ families.

NPR

• The subpoenas were said to be authorized by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, yet Deputy Attorney Buckley did not specify whether the approval was based on a direct national-security threat, a threat to human life, or another rationale.

NPR

• The Justice Department has not provided further details on the underlying investigation, leaving the scope and evidentiary basis of the leak inquiry unclear.

US Justice Department Drops New York Times Subpoenas After Judicial Rebuke

• “It's a great day for the First Amendment and a great day for the rule of law,” — David McGraw, the lead newsroom lawyer for the New York Times

NPR

• “These inadvertent errors — in hindsight you should have done things differently,” — Arun Subramanian, district court judge

NPR

• “To me this felt really un-American,” — Katherine Marsh

NPR