• Trump administration revokes Biden-era protections that restricted accessing journalists' records.
• New policy allows subpoenas, court orders, and search warrants against journalists.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasizes protecting classified information over press freedoms.
• Procedural safeguards are included, but the approach signals a more aggressive stance on leaks.
• The move has drawn significant criticism from press freedom advocates.

The Justice Department has announced a significant policy shift under Attorney General Pam Bondi, rescinding protections for journalists that were implemented during the Biden administration. This rollback allows federal authorities to pursue reporters' phone records and compel their testimony in leak investigations, effectively reintroducing measures that had faced considerable backlash in previous administrations, especially under Trump, according to ABC News and New York Times.

Bondi's memo outlines that federal prosecutors may now employ subpoenas and search warrants not just for classified materials but for any situation deemed necessary to protect sensitive government information. She argues that the previous Biden-era policy allowed misuse of media protections and undermined the government, stating, "This conduct is illegal and wrong, and it must stop," according to NPR and CBS News.

Former protections that restricted the use of compulsory legal processes for journalist records have been eliminated, signaling a return to more aggressive leak investigations reminiscent of actions taken during Trump's earlier terms. The new policy allows for a broader interpretation of what constitutes sensitive information that can lead to invasive inquiries against journalists, as reported by Reuters and India Times.

Attorney General Bondi noted that prior leak investigations involved unauthorized disclosures impacting national security and undermining the Trump administration’s policies, illustrating a clear intent to protect the administration's interests within the framework of legal accountability. She emphasized, “This Justice Department will not tolerate unauthorized disclosures that undermine President Trump's policies, victimize government agencies, and cause harm to the American people," according to HuffPost.

Despite the procedural safeguards introduced, critics express concern about the potential chilling effect this policy may have on journalistic freedom. Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, articulated that journalist protections are crucial for maintaining the free flow of information, emphasizing that "some of the most consequential reporting in U.S. history" relies on the ability of journalists to protect their sources, as noted by New York Times and NPR.