US reporter urges supreme court to halt ruling forcing her to reveal sources or pay $800-a-day fine
Catherine Herridge makes final bid to stave off penalty related to series of stories she wrote in 2017 for Fox News
TL;DR
- Journalist Catherine Herridge faces an $800 daily fine for civil contempt for refusing to reveal sources.
- The case stems from a privacy lawsuit filed by scientist Yanping Chen, who alleges harm from leaked information about a government investigation.
- Herridge's plea to stay a ruling upholding the contempt order was denied by the US court of appeals.
- She has now filed a petition for a stay with the US Supreme Court.
- Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has issued a temporary stay, ordering a response from Chen by July 1.
- Fox News expressed support for Herridge and the First Amendment principle of protecting reporter sources.
- Chen's attorney is confident the courts will rule against Herridge, stating she has no privilege to shield the identity of a law-breaking official.
- Press advocates worry about the case due to the lack of a federal shield law, highlighting the vulnerability of reporters covering sensitive stories.
- Previous cases include Judith Miller's 85-day jail sentence and a settlement involving journalists held in contempt over reporting on Wen Ho Lee.