Senate Stalls Media Shield Law

The federal journalism shield law hit another roadblock today with a 51-to-43 vote against a motion that would have brought the bill to a vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hoped to get the bill, which would protect journalists from having to reveal sources in federal court, to the floor for a vote before the upcoming August recess, but it was stalled by Senate Republicans, who shot it down in a mostly party-line vote. The Democrats and several Republican supporters fell nine votes shy of moving the legislation forward.

The bill could still get to the floor for a vote after the Senate returns from recess, but some are skeptical because of a busy legislative season and the fact that President George Bush opposes the bill and has threatened a veto. The legislation could have a better chance of survival after the presidential election as Barack Obama and John McCain have both expressed support for it. The House passed a version of the bill by a wide margin last October.

U.S. News spoke earlier with controversial former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, a proponent of this legislation, about the shield law, her time spent in jail, and her legacy. That interview can be found here.

Reader Comments Read all comments (2)

Add Your Thoughts

Comment Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Incorrect please try again

Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear:

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.