Appeals Court Blocks 18-Month LinkedIn Data Demand for Reporters in Leak Probe
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Nov 11
Appeals Court Blocks 18-Month LinkedIn Data Demand for Reporters in Leak Probe
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 11
Summary
A federal appeals court halted an order forcing LinkedIn to hand the Trump administration broad private data on a group of reporters, saying the request risked exposing unrelated confidential sources.
The unanimous Fourth Circuit panel sent the case back to a district judge to narrow the order, with Judge Harvie Wilkinson warning that wholesale collection of reporters’ records would undermine First Amendment press freedoms.
The dispute centers on 18 months of LinkedIn data sought under a gag order that kept the effort secret and barred the company from notifying those affected; LinkedIn challenged both the scope and secrecy.
The ruling did not name the article or outlet, but details pointed to a known leak inquiry tied to a 2019 New York Times report on a botched North Korea military operation.
The case adds to a broader Trump administration crackdown on leaks that has already included subpoenas to reporters at multiple outlets and a search of a Washington Post reporter’s home.