A federal judge has ordered the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to preserve encrypted Signal chat messages related to the recent airstrikes on Yemen. The order follows a lawsuit filed by the American Oversight transparency group, which requested the retention of all Signal messages exchanged between March 11 and March 15.

The lawsuit names several top officials in the Trump administration as defendants, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. According to the filing, the messages may contain critical information about decisions made in connection with the Yemen strikes.

President Trump and senior officials have denied any breach of classified information. However, the situation gained national attention when Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic, revealed he had been inadvertently added to the Signal chat group by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.

Goldberg publicly characterized the incident as a “national security breach” and urged the White House to address it transparently. His comments intensified public scrutiny, with some political figures and watchdogs demanding Waltz’s resignation over the mishap.

While the administration maintains that no sensitive material was leaked, the court’s order adds a new layer of urgency to the handling of internal communications during sensitive military operations. The legal outcome of the case could shape future standards for digital communications retention within the U.S. government.