Federal judge supports seizure of John Eastman’s cell phone for January 6 inquiry

John Eastman, former lawyer for Donald Trump, filed a motion to recover his cell phone after it was seized by the justice department. A judge has ruled that the action was justified. Photograph: Susan Walsh/AP

The US Justice Department was justified when it seized the cell phone of John Eastman, a former lawyer for Donald Trump, a federal judge in New Mexico ruled on Friday.

In its investigation into a scheme by the ex-president and his lawyers to overturn the 2020 election using “fake electors”, the justice department took Eastman’s phone on 22 June as he was leaving a restaurant in New Mexico. Eastman, in turn, filed a court motion in an attempt to get his phone back, arguing that the justice department violated his constitutional rights.