A federal judge has ruled that the government can legally tap the phones of anyone handling “material that is not generally available to the public.” Privacy experts says the ruling by Judge T.S. Ellis opens the door for the U.S. government to monitor journalists. Steven Aftergood who edits the journal Secrecy News said, “If the press could only report on 'information generally available to the public,' there would be no need for a press.” The ruling came in the trial of the two former AIPAC lobbyists who are accused of receiving classified intelligence from a Pentagon official.