Several news organizations are asking a judge to unseal the search warrant affidavit used to raid the Fremont home of a Gizmodo.com editor Jason Chen, who posted pictures and details of an iPhone prototype, the AP is reporting.
Court documents listing the legal reasons for searches are usually made public within 10 days. But the affidavit supporting the April 23 raid of Chen’s house and car remains sealed, according to the Associated Press.
The brief was filed by the AP, Bloomberg News, CNET News, the Los Angeles Times, Wired.com, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the First Amendment Coalition.
They argue that the affidavit will help determine whether the raid was appropriate. California law protects journalists from having to turn over certain material during a search.