Journalist's Supporters Can Sue FBI over subpoena seeking names of defense fund donors (Washington Times Reports)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/4/journalists-supporters-can-sue-fbi-over-subpoena-s/

The Washington Times Reports:

"Supporters of convicted journalist Barrett Brown may sue the FBI for demanding the identities of individuals who donated to his legal defense fund, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James wrote in a 26-page order published Tuesday that individuals tied to the “Free Barrett Brown” defense fund may pursue claims against the government in connection with its use of a subpoena targeting the journalist’s supporters.

Mr. Brown, 36, was arrested in 2012 and charged in relation to a data breach involving Strategic Forecasting, or “Stratfor,” a Texas-based private intelligence company. The U.S. attorney’s office in Dallas said he conspired with the computer hacker who breached Stratfor in 2011 and then threatened an FBI agent investigating the matter. He ultimately entered a plea deal and was released from prison last November after spending more than four years behind bars.

Kevin Gallagher, the creator of “Free Barrett Brown,” sued the government in San Francisco federal court this past February after learning that the Dallas prosecutor’s office used a subpoena to quietly obtain the names and other personal information of individuals who made seemingly anonymous donations to the writer’s defense fund. " read more by visiting....

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/4/journalists-supporters-can-sue-fbi-over-subpoena-s/