White House ordered to save e-mail messages

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy ordered the White House to preserve copies of all its e-mail messages in response to two lawsuits, which seek to determine whether the Bush administration violated federal law by destroying other electronic communications.

The White House agreed to preserve copies of all e-mail messages, while also seeking the dismissal of the lawsuits brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the National Security Archive.

"We will study the court’s order and the magistrate’s recommendations," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said in a statement. "However, the Office of Administration has been taking steps to maintain and preserve backup tapes for the official e-mail system. We have provided assurances to the plaintiffs and to the court that these steps were being taken. We will continue preserving the tapes in compliance with the court’s order."