Federal prosecutors can issue subpoenas to telecommunications carriers to obtain subscribers' phone toll records.
November 21, 2025
high
procedural
Describes a common legal mechanism used in criminal and other investigations to acquire telephone metadata from carriers.
U.S. House Ethics Committee investigations can involve subpoenaing thousands of documents and interviewing hundreds of witnesses.
November 19, 2025
high
procedural
Scale of evidence collection and witness interviews in major congressional ethics probes.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) analyzes flight data recorders as part of its aviation accident investigations.
November 04, 2025
high
procedural
Flight data recorders (FDRs) provide recorded flight parameters that investigators use to reconstruct accident sequences.
Aviation accident investigations commonly involve recovery and analysis of flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders (often called 'black boxes').
November 04, 2025
high
procedural
Flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders are standard sources of objective data used to establish event timelines and crew communications.
Flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders recovered from aircraft accidents are sent to laboratories for preliminary examination as part of standard aviation accident investigations.
October 26, 2025
high
procedural
Describes a common investigative procedure for analyzing onboard recording devices after aircraft accidents.
Aviation accident investigations commonly involve representatives from national transportation safety investigation bodies and aircraft manufacturers, for example the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, Turkey's Transport Safety Investigation Center, and Boeing.
October 26, 2025
high
organizational
Describes typical international and manufacturer participation in aircraft accident investigations.
Lack of cooperation with NCAA investigations can stall enforcement processes because enforcement personnel may be unable to determine whether sports-wagering or other violations occurred.
October 24, 2025
high
procedural
Describes a general investigative consequence when subjects do not participate or provide requested evidence.
A 2023 report by Special Counsel John Durham concluded that intelligence agencies lacked 'actual evidence of collusion' to justify launching the Trump-Russia investigation.
January 01, 2023
high
temporal
Finding from the final report authored by Special Counsel John Durham.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named Representative Liz Cheney as vice chair of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
January 06, 2021
high
temporal
Leadership assignment for the House Select Committee on the January 6 attack
The 2019 report by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III concluded that it did not establish that the Trump campaign criminally conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.
April 18, 2019
high
temporal
Core conclusion from the Special Counsel Robert Mueller report.
Seeking toll records from phone companies is a routine investigative technique used by law enforcement to determine when calls were placed and between which numbers, and toll records do not reveal the contents of phone calls or messages.
high
procedural
Use and limits of telephone toll records in criminal investigations.
Investigative workflows commonly include reviewing large volumes of video footage and conducting numerous interviews to develop and corroborate leads in complex cases.
high
procedural
Complex or unresolved investigations typically require extensive evidence review and interviewing to identify suspects and verify information.
Subpoenas for telecommunications records in federal investigations can be accompanied by nondisclosure orders directing providers not to notify targets, which can raise legal issues when the records sought concern members of Congress or other constitutionally protected actors.
high
legal
Intersection of investigative subpoena practice, provider gag orders, and constitutional protections for certain categories of individuals.