SEATTLE — The Seattle Police Department will withdraw a subpoena requiring five Seattle news organizations to give them unpublished news videos and photos taken during racial injustice demonstrations May 30 that investigators argued would help them solve arson and theft cases.
In a motion filed with the state Supreme Court Monday, lawyers for police said an ongoing appeal by The Seattle Times and four TV stations would delay release of any news images until next year, and noted a recent arrest in one of those cases.
As a result, the department decided to drop the subpoena and not seek enforcement of an earlier court order granting access to the images, The Seattle Times reported.
The decision effectively renders meaningless a closely watched legal battle pitting free press protections against the power of police investigations.