LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The fight over access to the late journalist Jeff German’s devices resumed in Las Vegas Justice Court on Thursday morning.
During the investigation of German's murder, Las Vegas police seized a cellphone, laptops and a hard drive that belonged to the late reporter.
Attorneys representing the Review-Journal requested a preliminary injunction to prevent police from searching the devices, arguing that they contained confidential information and unpublished material that should be protected from disclosure under both federal and state law.
On Oct. 11, a Las Vegas judge issued a preliminary injunction that prevented police from viewing the devices they seized after Jeff German’s murder.
On Thursday, a judge issued a continuance for the case after discussing a motion that had been filed by the attorney representing the Las Vegas Review-Journal, requesting the unsealed and unredacted warrant for the seizure of Jeff German's devices. The attorneys argued that the version they received was "over-redacted" and that there were several other unidentified warrants pertaining to the case that need to be opened.
An attorney representing the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told the judge that, since the motion was received on Oct. 31, there was no time to file an opposition. The attorney also told the judge that the department would need at least a week to evaluate the request and locate the requested documents.
The judge agreed to continue the case until Tuesday, Nov. 15.
“The press relies upon sources to come forward and be able to trust reporters to keep information and their identities confidential in order to share information about all kinds of wrongdoing,” Ashley Kissinger, the attorney representing the Review-Journal and media entities including The Associated Press, told KTNV after the Oct. 11 hearing.
The trial date for Robert Telles, the former Clark County official accused of murdering German, is set for April 2023.
