Alexandria, Virginia - A federal judge has blocked the Department of Justice from searching material seized from the home of a Washington Post reporter last month.

On Tuesday, Magistrate Judge William Porter issued a ruling that the court would conduct searches through electronic devices seized at the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, instead of the DOJ.

"Allowing the government's filter team to search a reporter's work product – most of which consists of unrelated information from confidential sources – is the equivalent of leaving the government's fox in charge of The Washington Post's henhouse," the judge wrote.

In a statement, the Post applauded "the court's recognition of core First Amendment protections and its rejection of the government's expansionist arguments."

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On January 14, authorities conducted a raid on Natanson's Virginia home, seizing a work laptop, a personal laptop, her phone, and a watch.

The decision comes after Judge Porter previously ruled the DOJ could preserve the material, but blocked them from reviewing it due to pending litigation over the search.

The search was related to an investigation involving Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator who has been accused of taking intelligence documents home.

While officials insist Natanson is not the focus of the probe, critics argue the search has set a dangerous precedent.

In a statement following the search, the Post argued that it "chills speech, cripples reporting, and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on these materials."