A US federal judge has ordered the White House to preserve copies of all e-mails in a move heavily criticised by the Bush administration.
US District Judge Henry Kennedy yesterday directed the Executive Office of the president to safeguard the material in response to two lawsuits that seek to determine whether the White House has destroyed e-mails in violation of federal law.
In response, the White House said it has been taking steps to preserve copies of all e-mails and will continue to do so.
The administration is seeking dismissal of the lawsuits brought by two private groups, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the National Security Archive.
The organisations allege the disappearance of five million White House e-mails. The court order issued by Judge Kennedy is directed at maintaining backup tapes that contain copies of White House e-mails.
The Federal Records Act details strict standards prohibiting the destruction of government documents including electronic messages, unless first approved by the archivist of the United States.