Scholastic Journalists' Rights
Pending federal shield law legislation:• S. 2831• S. 1419• S. 340• H.R. 3323• H.R. 581
Senate Judiciary Committee hearings:I."Reporters' Shield Legislation: Issues and Implications" (July 20, 2005)II. "Reporters' Privilege Legislation: An Additional Investigation of Issues and Implications" (Oct. 19, 2005)III. "Reporters' Privilege Legislation: Preserving Effective Law Enforcement" (Sept. 20, 2006)
Testimony:I.• William Safire• Rep. Mike Pence• Matthew Cooper• Norman Pearlstine• Floyd Abrams• Lee Levine• Geoffrey StoneII.• Chuck Rosenberg• Judith Miller• David Westin• Joseph E. diGenova• Ann Gordon• Dale Davenport• Steven D. ClymerIII.• Victor E. Schwartz• Theodore B. Olson• Steven D. Clymer• Paul J. McNulty
Member statements:I.• Sen. Patrick Leahy• Sen. Richard Lugar• Sen. Russ FeingoldII.• Sen. John Cornyn• Sen. Patrick LeahyIII.• Sen. Patrick Leahy
A Luzerne County judge says he needs more time to decide if a Times Leader reporter should be ordered to hand over to prosecutors notes from interviews he had with double-homicide suspect Hugo Selenski. The prosecutors also are trying to force the reporter to testify about the jailhouse interviews during Selenski's trial. During a pre-trial hearing on Friday, Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. said it's difficult to rule on the matter because he has found no case law that mirrors, precisely, the issue in question. Times Leader reporter David Weiss has declined to meet with the Luzerne County District Attorney's Office to discuss his jailhouse interviews with Selenski, while at least one reporter from another newspaper has given the district attorney's office information about that reporter's separate interview with the suspect. The district attorney's office has subpoenaed Weiss three times and wants to see his notes from three interviews with Selenski. Olszewski was provided with Pennsylvania case law regarding cases in which information was requested from reporters. But they failed to supply guidance on whether a reporter's notes could be ordered into the hands of prosecutors for a homicide case. The issue is also complicated by the fact that the newspaper might argue that Selenski was a confidential source during one or more of the interviews, according to Times Leader attorney Ralph Kates. "I feel like I'm on an island by myself," Olszewski said. "The truth is there is no specific authority to protect Mr. Weiss; nor do I have the authority to require Mr. Weiss to give up his notes." Kates says the Constitution protects Weiss from handing over his notes.
