The Justice Department has officially dropped its subpoenas targeting New York Times journalists after a federal judge issued a stern rebuke regarding the government’s aggressive tactics. The move follows a high-stakes hearing on Thursday, July 23, 2026, where the presiding judge dismantled the government’s justification for seeking grand jury testimony and private phone records from reporters.
Per NPR, the DOJ filed the subpoenas on July 10, two days after the Times published the first of two reports detailing security concerns involving the new Air Force One jet, gifted by Qatar. They had reported that the Secret Service urged President Trump to avoid flying home from Turkey on the aircraft. It raised questions about whether the plane was properly retrofitted with essential security features like advanced missile defense systems before being put into service.
