Article Abstract:
The California Supreme Court ruled in State v. Sanchez that the trial court's order to quash a subpoena based on the California Shield Law did not result denial of the right to a fair trial and to confront witnesses. A reporter could be subpoenaed on published information regarding interviews with the defendant, but the trial court had upheld the privilege regarding unpublished materials. The Supreme Court upheld the ruling in finding that the additional information related to unpublished matters would have been of little relevance to the trier of fact, the trial judge.
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Article Abstract:
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled in In re Struzzi that the qualified reporter's privilege did not protect a reporter from a prosecutor's subpoena to testify in a murder trial because the reporter's already having offered testimony made the issue moot. Struzzi argued that she was protected by a constitutional qualified reporter's privilege despite the absence of a shield law in Virginia and that she should be compelled to comply with the subpoena only if the prosecutor could show her testimony was critical to the case.
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Article Abstract:
The US Court of Appeals in New York City in Apr 1996 quashed a subpoena requiring NBC to turn over to Graco Children's Products outtakes from interviews with people then suing Graco. The 3-0 decision reversed an order by New York's federal District Court holding NBC in contempts and fining it $5000 per day until the tapes were handed over. The Court of Appeals found Graco did not show that information on the tapes was essential and unavailable elsewhere.
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic: