MANHATTAN — The New York Times filed a motion to quash subpoenas for the phone records of several reporters and their family members. The Justice Department issued subpoenas seeking phone records of New York Times reporters and their relatives in an investigation into confidential sources for reporting on security systems of the Qatar-donated Air Force One.

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian ordered the enforcement of all subpoenas paused until he rules on the paper's motions. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Thursday.

The subpoenas sought records for the spouses of two reporters and the mother of one reporter. Grand jury subpoenas were served on three journalists on July 10 seeking testimony regarding the identity of their sources. Phone record subpoenas were issued on the same day as the grand jury subpoenas, with an additional one issued the following day and another on July 16.

The subpoenas were signed by Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York and President Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence. Two of the subpoenas seek phone records beginning January 1, 2026. The Times reported on July 8 and July 9 that the Secret Service advised Trump to use the old presidential aircraft to depart from Turkey. Trump flew on the new plane to the NATO summit in Ankara.

David McCraw, the New York Times senior vice president and deputy general counsel, stated the company moved to quash the subpoenas. "The company moved to quash the 'abusive and improper subpoenas,'" McCraw said. Times lawyers stated in filings that the government's disclosures are part of "bad-faith efforts to intimidate the Journalists and chill their ability to report." "That timeframe strongly suggests that the department is using this investigation not to focus on any purported concerns arising from the July 8 and 9 articles, but instead to forage for information about the journalists' source relationships more broadly. The Times asserted that the Justice Department violated its own policies by waiting a week to notify the newspaper about the phone record subpoenas."

A Justice Department spokesperson stated the subpoenas are in full compliance with federal law and internal department policy." The Justice Department stated that "reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are." Jay Clayton stated at his confirmation hearing that "we followed the protocols" and that the government took "the least intrusive possible" steps."

The mother of one reporter is a mental health professional with confidential client relationships. One of the spouses whose records were sought is the general counsel of a law firm. The new Air Force One was a gift from Qatar's royal family to Trump last year. The Trump administration spent $400 million to retrofit and upgrade the new jet.

The legal dispute centers on the Justice Department's use of grand jury powers to obtain journalists' communications records during an investigation into leaked information about presidential travel security. The subpoenas target not only the reporters but also their family members, including a mental health professional with confidential client relationships and a law firm general counsel. The investigation focuses on reporting regarding the security systems of a presidential aircraft donated by Qatar.

Times argues that the timing and scope of the subpoenas indicate an effort to identify sources broadly rather than address specific leaks, while federal officials maintain the actions comply with legal standards and target leakers rather than journalists. The outcome of the motion to quash could affect how federal prosecutors pursue leak investigations involving press reporting in the future.