Justice Department subpoenas seek phone records of New York Times journalists and relatives

The Justice Department has filed a motion seeking phone records of multiple New York Times journalists and, in some cases, their relatives, according to documents unsealed Monday. The subpoenas, which cover periods extending back to January 1, 2026, were described by the newspaper’s lawyers as broader than the articles under investigation and as an attempt to uncover source relationships beyond the specific July 8 and 9 reports.

The request follows grand jury subpoenas issued on July 10 that demanded testimony from three reporters about their sources. The Times has challenged those subpoenas, and U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian has paused enforcement of the phone-record subpoenas while the newspaper’s motion to quash them is considered.

The newspaper’s attorneys argue that the Justice Department acted without providing advance notice and failed to conduct a thorough investigation before demanding the records, calling the approach “bad faith.” They also note that one subpoena targets a reporter’s mother, a mental-health professional, and another seeks records of a journalist’s spouse who serves as general counsel for a law firm.

The Justice Department responded that any subpoena it issues complies with federal law and internal policy, emphasizing that “reporters are not the targets; those leaking classified information are.”

The subpoenas arise amid an ongoing legal dispute over the administration’s attempts to identify sources for reporting on the Qatar-gifted Air Force One jet, which the White House has defended as a routine security matter. The broader conflict between the Trump administration and news organizations has included prior grand jury subpoenas, an FBI search of a Washington Post reporter’s home, and public statements criticizing media coverage.