Supreme Court to get reporter's privilege plea

A showdown over the right many journalists claim not to testify about their sources in criminal cases is headed for the Supreme Court after James Risen, a New York Times reporter, asked a federal appeals court to put its ruling denying such a privilege on hold while he asks the justices to take up the issue.

Risen’s lawyers filed a motion with the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, asking that the court halt the effect of its decision requiring him to testify in the expected trial of Jeffrey Sterling, a former Central Intelligence Agency officer who has been indicted for leaking Risen information about a CIA operation to provide Iran with flawed nuclear designs as part of an effort to set back that country's alleged nuclear weapons program. "The situation faced by Mr. Risen here is not unique and is likely to recur," Risen attorneys David Kelley and Joel Kurtzberg write in the motion. "As has frequently been pointed out, this Administration has initiated more prosecutions for allegedly improper leaks than all past administrations combined. There is no indication that these practices are likely to wane. The questions of law in this case are not only unsettled, but also vitally important to our democracy," the lawyers write.