By Tierney Sneed, CNN
US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, VP JD Vance (back), and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth (right) are among the high-ranking officials who participated in the chat. Photo: AFP / Getty Images / Andrew Harnik
A federal judge on Thursday (US time) ordered key Trump administration agencies to preserve messages sent on Signal between 11-15 March.
Judge James Boasberg made the ruling in a preservation lawsuit brought in the wake of the revelation that Cabinet officials were discussing war plans on Signal. The Justice Department says the administration is already working to track down and preserve the Signal texts from that period.
Boasberg's temporary restraining order also directs the administration to file a status report on Monday, accompanied with declarations from government officials, explaining the steps the agencies were taking to preserve the messages.
The judge focused the 20-minute court hearing on "finding common ground" between the Trump administration and the watchdog group that brought the records preservation lawsuit so that he could issue a temporary restraining order both sides would be amenable to.
Though he didn't mention it explicitly, Boasberg is also presiding over the high-profile case challenging President Donald Trump's invocation of a rarely used war power to swiftly deport migrants.
The Signal case was assigned to Boasberg by chance, the judge said, acknowledging possible questions from the public, explaining in detail how the random case assignment system works in DC's federal court.
During Thursday's hearing, Boasberg also slyly referenced a major dispute in the deportation case, around whether the administration was obligated to follow an order he issued verbally from the bench before he put it in writing. As he told the DOJ lawyer what he was ordering in the records preservation case, Boasberg said, with a grin, "Don't worry, it will be in writing."
- CNN
