The DNC sued President Donald Trump's campaign, the Russian Federation, Assange, and WikiLeaks on April 20, 2018, alleging the dissemination of materials "furthered the prospects" of the Trump campaign. They argued officials "welcomed" the assistance of agents allegedly working for the Russian Federation.

At the time, DNC chair Tom Perez accused WikiLeaks of helping to perpetrate a "brazen attack" on democracy. However, Judge John Koeltl in the Southern District of New York saw through the DNC lawsuit and recognized the impact it would have on press freedom.

Koeltl highlighted the case of the Pentagon Papers, where the Supreme Court held there was a "heavy presumption" against the "constitutional validity of prior restraints" (suppressing) the publication of information.