Police in Kansas have returned cellphones, computers and other equipment to the Marion County Record, less than a week after a raid on the small-town newspaper was widely criticized as a likely violation of federal law.
In another development, news emerged that Magistrate Judge Laura Viar, who signed the search warrant allowing police to seize the equipment, was arrested at least twice for driving under the influence. Those 2012 arrests came months apart in two counties — and it’s not clear how much information was shared between officials at the time, The Wichita Eagle reports. (See below for more on the allegations.)
The extraordinary Aug. 11 raid drew national and international headlines because it seemed to run counter to long-established press freedoms and guarantees. Such actions are nearly unheard of in the U.S.
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