A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the government to halt its review of materials seized last week from the home of a Washington Post reporter. Magistrate Judge William B. Porter issued the ruling in response to a legal filing by The Washington Post, which argued that the seizure violated the First Amendment and demanded the return of the items.

The newspaper's filing asserted that "the seizure chills speech, cripples reporting and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on protected materials." Judge Porter stated that The Post and the reporter, Hannah Natanson, had demonstrated sufficient cause to maintain the status quo while the legal issues are addressed in court.

The F.B.I. conducted the search at Ms. Natanson's residence. Ms. Natanson has extensively covered the changes within the federal government under the second Trump administration. Weeks prior to the search, she authored a first-person article detailing her use of the encrypted messaging app Signal to communicate with government sources. One of her colleagues described her as "the federal government whisperer."

During the search, authorities seized two laptops, one belonging to The Post, as well as a company-issued iPhone and a portable hard drive. The specific reasons for the search and seizure have not been officially disclosed, but the government is expected to file documents in court explaining their justification. The Post's legal team is preparing to argue that the search was overly broad and infringed upon Ms. Natanson's and the newspaper's First Amendment rights. The government has not yet issued a public statement regarding the judge's order. The case is expected to proceed in the coming weeks with further legal arguments and potential hearings.