On Thursday, a federal judge declared a former Fox News journalist to be in civil contempt of court.
Catherine Herridge, who previously served as the chief intelligence correspondent for Fox News, was fined $800 per day for refusing to reveal her sources regarding a series of reports for Fox News in 2017. The reports concerned Dr. Yanping Chen, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was being investigated by the FBI for her ties to the Chinese military and whether she was helping Beijing spy on U.S. service members. (RELATED: Biden Cries After Fox News Does This To Him, Makes Wild Demand)
Chen has since sued the FBI, alleging that the agency violated the Privacy Act by leaking information to Herridge. Chen was never charged.
Herridge, who has aggressively fought the case, is expected to appeal the judge's decision. The case could have sweeping First Amendment implications for journalists and news organizations across the country.
Herridge, who left Fox News in 2019 and was recently laid off by CBS News, refused in September to disclose the sources used for her stories, defying a court order issued earlier in the year by the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The order from Judge Christopher Cooper came as a result of a lawsuit filed by Chinese American scientist Yanping Chen against the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In an effort to prove her case, Chen subpoenaed Herridge and Fox News, with the hope of unmasking the reporting's sources. Fox News and Herridge aggressively fought the move, arguing that Cooper should quash the subpoenas because of First Amendment protections afforded to the press.
But Cooper disagreed and ordered otherwise, stating that “Chen's need for the requested evidence overcomes Herridge's qualified First Amendment privilege in this case.”
He recognized that the court order would have consequences for all journalists.
“The Court does not reach this result lightly,” Cooper wrote. “It recognizes the paramount importance of a free press in our society and the critical role that confidential sources play in the work of investigative journalists like Herridge. Yet the Court also has its own role to play in upholding the law and safeguarding judicial authority.”
Herridge was also the senior investigative correspondent at CBS News until February.
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