Thread by @trevortimm

This is CRAZY. Journalists were inadvertently given a list of police misconduct reports via a public records request. The California AG is now saying the journalists are breaking the law by merely *possessing* the documents and threatened legal action. eastbaytimes.com/2019/02/26/cal…

When I first read the article, I thought it must have been overstating things. But it's not -- read the full, threatening letter the California AG's office sent the journalists: scribd.com/document/40050…

In a statement to @FreedomofPress today, California AG @XavierBecerra's office doubled down on their contention that the reporters here are breaking the law by possessing documents about police criminal convictions. We'll have a story up about it in the morning.

Read @camfassett's story with new details on @AGBecerra's office threatening journalists who got a list of police with criminal convictions via a records request.

The AG doubled down on saying the reporters are committing a crime by possessing the docs. freedom.press/news/brewing-f…

Here are the key points from First Amendment lawyer David Snyder:

1) The First Amendment protects journalists from civil or criminal liability for possessing documents
2) the statute @AGBecerra's office cited specifically has a carve out for journalists!
freedom.press/news/brewing-f…

Here's the statute @AGBecerra says the journalists are violating: "Any person, EXCEPT those specifically referred to in Section 1070 of the Evidence Code, who..."

And here's the first line of Section 1070: "A publisher, editor, reporter..."

It's not like the law is overly confusing or complicated. The whole text can fit in a tweet, and the reference to journalists being exempted is literally in the first line.

The California AG's office sent @FreedomofPress a quote attributed to @AGBecerra himself, saying he was just following the "rule of law." Has he actually read the law? Judging from this, seems he hasn't.

https://twitter.com/trevortimm/status/1101189796720861184