Catherine Herridge, currently with CBS News but with Fox News when she reported the stories, must sit for a deposition and answer questions under oath about the identity and intent of the sources for the series, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled.
“The Court recognizes both the vital importance of a free press and the critical role that confidential sources play in the work of investigative journalists like Herridge,” Judge Cooper, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said in a 28-page ruling. “But applying the binding case law of this Circuit, the Court concludes that Chen’s need for the requested evidence overcomes Herridge’s qualified First Amendment privilege in this case.”
Lawyers representing Ms. Herridge and Fox had argued that the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protects journalists from most requests and that Ms. Chen hadn't met the threshold to override the protection.
