SPLC alleges DOJ is treating witness as a member of prosecution team

What happened: Lawyers for the Southern Poverty Law Center asked a judge to let them subpoena a former informant known as "F-9," alleging the Justice Department treated him as part of the prosecution team and obtained his material without a subpoena or search warrant. Key numbers: F-9 met with the government more than 20 times since November Why it matters: The defense argues the informant had incentives to tell the government what it wanted to hear and shaped the charges, while a former federal prosecutor told CBS News that gathering evidence without a subpoena or warrant was unusual.

Lawyers for the Southern Poverty Law Center asked a judge to let them subpoena a former informant known as "F-9," alleging the Justice Department treated him as part of the prosecution team and obtained his material without a subpoena or search warrant.

The defense argues the informant had incentives to tell the government what it wanted to hear and shaped the charges, while a former federal prosecutor told CBS News that gathering evidence without a subpoena or warrant was unusual.