The U.S. Department of Justice stunned everyone on Monday when it asked a judge to postpone its hearing with Apple. The judge was scheduled to determine whether the government could compel Apple to help it hack into an iPhone used by the gunman in the San Bernardino attack.
But less than 24 hours before the hearing was to take place, the Justice Department came forward and said that an "outside party" had offered its assistance to gain access to the phone. The department asked the judge to cancel the hearing, Apple didn't offer any objections, and so the expected day in court didn't materialize.
According to a transcript of a conference call between Apple and the Justice Department, prosecutors said they were not expecting an outside party to offer its assistance.
On the call, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Wilkison said that the government "only learned about this possibility today, this morning, about this possibility that Apple is not necessary." She added that in the course of the litigation, a lot of other people had reached out hoping to help the FBI get into the phone. But in this circumstance, she said, the government has "at least a good faith basis that [this method] will work."
For its part, Apple made to sure to take umbrage with the way the government has characterized its position that only Apple could help hack the iPhone. The company encouraged the judge to rebuke the government on the record.
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