Washington, D.C. – The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, granted a stipulated preservation order today in Democracy Forward Foundation v. U.S. Department of Justice, requiring the U.S. State Department to preserve and account for Signal messages and other communications used by senior national security officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The order comes after Democracy Forward asked the court to protect federal records in light of news reports that top officials were coordinating sensitive operations on unclassified messaging applications.

Under the court order, the U.S. State Department must immediately notify Secretary Rubio of his preservation obligations, ensure that Signal and other text message records are preserved, and submit a declaration within seven days detailing the steps it has taken to safeguard these materials and determine whether any records were lost.

“Today’s order is an important step forward in protecting the integrity of our nation’s public records and ensuring accountability at the highest levels of government,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “At a time when the Trump-Vance administration has shown alarming disregard for established national security protocols – as well as basic transparency and accountability required by law – the court’s order affirms that the State Department is not above the law. We will continue to hold administration leaders accountable to the American people.”

Democracy Forward filed its original request letters in March, following The Atlantic’s reporting that senior officials—including the Secretary of State, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Secretary of Defense—used Signal to discuss highly sensitive military operations, even mistakenly including a journalist in the conversation. Today’s order ensures that these records cannot be deleted or concealed while litigation proceeds.

Read the court’s order here.

The legal team at Democracy Forward in this case includes Daniel McGrath, Amy Vickery, and Robin Thurston.

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Democracy Forward is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org