DC Circuit refuses to rehear reporter contempt case News
DC Circuit refuses to rehear reporter contempt case

[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [official website] on Tuesday refused to rehear a case in which it held two reporters in contempt [JURIST report] for refusing to reveal confidential sources for an investigation into whether a Bush administration official leaked the name of a covert CIA operative. In the case, New York Times reporter Judith Miller [Wikipedia article] and Time reporter Matthew Cooper were both held in contempt for witholding their sources, and both face jail time. The case stems from a grand jury investigation into whether an administration official outed CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity in the media to retaliate against her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson. Read the court's opinion [PDF text]. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press [advocacy website] has more on reporter shield laws. Reuters has more.