Former star Fox News investigative reporter Catherine Herridge faces the prospect of spending time in jail due to her refusal to reveal the identity of a confidential source.
This comes from an article published by The Epoch Times on Saturday.
In August, Herridge was ordered by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper (an Obama appointee) to disclose who provided her with information concerning an FBI investigation into a Chinese scientist named Yanping Chen. However, during a deposition following Cooper’s order, Herridge refused to answer questions about the identity of her source or other aspects of her reporting process and editorial decision-making.
As a result, lawyers for Chen asked that she be held in contempt – which could involve jail time – and last week Cooper indicated that she likely would be if she continued to refuse the disclosure.
“With contempt proceedings now teed up, one of two outcomes appears likely: either Herridge will be held in contempt in the near future and can immediately appeal that order, or, as sometimes occurs in these cases, the sources may release Herridge from the privilege rather than watch her undergo the consequences of contempt,” Cooper wrote in his ruling.
The Epoch Times added:
Ms. Herridge’s lawyers had said the judge’s August order contained language indicating he thought he was forced to require contempt before an appeal but that the court actually had the discretion to certify an appeal ahead of a contempt ruling.
“The court should exercise its discretion to avoid forcing Ms. Herridge to suffer a contempt sanction as the price for securing review of her First Amendment rights,” they said.
Cooper acknowledged that he had the authority to make such a decision, and exercised it when denying the motion as it is customary to delay appellate proceedings until the defendant has disobeyed a court order and is in contempt.
“The court thus makes clear what may have been murky before: Exercising its discretion, the court concludes that certification is not warranted in this case because Herridge can appeal a subsequent contempt order,” Judge Cooper said.
The Epoch Times added: “The case stems from three reports published by Fox News starting in 2017 that disclosed the FBI had investigated Ms. Chen, a naturalized U.S. citizen who founded and owned a university attended by multiple U.S. military personnel. Ms. Chen was informed in 2016 that she was not being charged.
“The Department of Defense moved in 2018 to stop helping pay the tuition of military members to attend Ms. Chen’s university. Ms. Chen sued the FBI, alleging it or other government entities had leaked the previously private information to Ms. Herridge,” the report continued.
Organizations advocating for press freedom have severely criticized Cooper’s ruling, claiming that it could set a dangerous precedent by forcing reporters to confront contempt charges while appealing.
“Requiring reporters to face contempt before they can appeal may discourage them from insisting on their First Amendment right to protect confidential sources by taking their objection to a higher court,” Caitlin Vogus, deputy director of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, noted in a recent blog post.
“Journalists are already under great pressure any time they face a legal demand to reveal a confidential source or other newsgathering material. If they can’t appeal an order requiring them to name a source without facing a potentially large fine or long jail sentence, some may think twice about continuing to resist,” Vogus added.
Court ordered disclosure of confidential sources that fly in the face of the 1st Amendment. Not the first time this has happened in the past several years. Attorney’s homes raided and computers confiscated. So much for attorney/client confidentiality. Yes, this happened to at least 1 of Trump’s attorneys. Governments installing facial recognition cameras. Government pressuring social media to censor posts they don’t agree with. People including a former president prosecuted for questioning the outcome of an election due to states’ election officials breaking election laws. Thought that only happened in 3rd world banana republics. And there are many more reasons to believe we don’t live in the United States that our founding fathers envisioned although they warned us about immoral men running our country which, I hate to say it, I estimate at least 60% are greedy immoral crooks.
Ms. Herridge is and has always been an exemplary journalist for her entire career! Her integrity has ALWAYS been beyond reproach!
The TRASH of the Democrat party and their stooges at the FBI are and have been NOTHING but a disgrace to the country, and are only there to destroy anyone that they can’t control! This pretend administration is nothing more than King Obama’s 3rd term with O’biden as his front man and puppet!
At my advanced age, I can only hang my head in shame at what the leftist trash has done to America, and I will pray for Ms. Herridge’s strength to stand up for her honor and principles in the face of tyranny!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
politics supersede the Constitution now?
communist reporters can lie, be exposed, but never held to account…. yet (wait for it)
Funny how it is now so important to reveal these snitches but when Comey and Schiff were constantly leaking and planting lies it wasn’t a big deal.
AMEN!!!!
It is obvious that the First Amendment doesn’t apply when Communists are in power. Keep voting Democrat, it will get worse.
Exactly Jim, and the one cell brain idiots will keep voting those Communist Democrats in to keep getting their froop loops and free housing.
Living in slums and getting their free government cheese must be well worth staying on the Communist Democrats plantation and treating like the slaves they protest and murder and cry about, blaming the Republicans who freed them.
FJB and all Communist Democrats who vote for them.
Fascists working hard to go against our Constitution, and ruin America! I have not nor ever will vote for a Democrat. They are evil and want to take away our Constitutional rights. Look at Hitlery Clinton. She wants conservatives put into concentration camps and deprogramed. Vote for Republicans because your lives depend upon it!
This whole issue has been settled over and over in every court (including the SCOTUS, I believe), why does it ever even come up other than intimidation of a reporter.
It’s Cooper who needs to be thrown in jail. All the FBI is trying to do by their threat is to find out who the source is so they can throw him/her in jail. More gestapo antics.
I think they ought to Jailed Her Right after they JAIL the FBI ,DOJ for not answering the Questions that Congress ask them PERIOD what say YOU?
Just further proof that the courts and criminal government officials are desperately trying to destroy this nation’s constitution! Tell the judge to pound sand, and let the taxpayers feed you! After all it is the taxpayers that keep voting for corrupt politicians and judges!
FIRST, Get the FBI & DOJ to fess up about Hillary!!!! And Biden!!! Too many to name!!! I wouldn’t say $h……..
Haven’t we been here before and the courts rejectd the charges as a violation of their 1st amendment?