WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court in Washington grappled with what constitutional protections members of Congress might have for content on their cellphones, during oral arguments Thursday related to a criminal grand jury probe.
Much of the case at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit remains sealed, and the judges and parties were careful Thursday not to mention the name of the lawmaker or the subject of the Justice Department investigation.
Several media reports say the member of Congress is Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a Trump ally whose phone was seized by federal investigators last year. Perry initially filed a civil lawsuit last year seeking an order barring any Justice Department search of his seized phone before dropping the suit in October.
