Regardless of the cause, is anyone else considered with the legal precedents they are setting to catch pedophiles and drug dealers?
Legally, there is no real difference between doing this to catch those sorts of people and doing it to de-anonymize whistleblowers under the guise of "National Security" who use Tor to relay such information to the press. :/
You're absolutely right. Legally there is absolutely no difference between busting pedophiles on Tor and busting "whistleblowers" talking to the press, legally speaking. No difference. It's legally the exact same.
Legally, there is no real difference between doing this to catch those sorts of people and doing it to de-anonymize whistleblowers under the guise of "National Security" who use Tor to relay such information to the press. :/