The US Justice Department has withdrawn subpoenas issued to New York Times journalists who reported security concerns about President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One, an aircraft gifted by Qatar. The move matters because it ends, for now, an attempt to compel reporters to testify and provide records as part of an investigation into alleged leaks of classified information, raising press-freedom concerns.

A federal judge confirmed the withdrawal after criticising the government’s effort to obtain testimony from reporters including Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton and Eric Schmitt; the DOJ had also sought phone records belonging to journalists and relatives. The Times said the subpoenas were unlawful and intended to punish its reporting, while the DOJ said the investigation remains active and that it may seek to renew the subpoenas with the court’s prior approval.