"This case implicates one of the most basic journalistic practices of them all: asking sources within the government for information. Each day, countless journalists follow this practice, seeking comment, confirmation, or even 'scoops' from governmental sources."
"This was a blatant First Amendment violation. No reasonable officer would have thought that he could have arrested Villarreal, consistent with the Constitution, for asking the questions she asked."
"If the First Amendment means anything, it surely means that a citizen journalist has the right to ask a public official a question, without fear of being imprisoned."
The Supreme Court's refusal to hear a case regarding a Texas law permits law enforcement to arrest journalists for obtaining information from government employees. Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, emphasizing the importance of journalists asking government sources for information. The law, which had not been enforced prior to the case of journalist Priscilla Villarreal, was deemed a First Amendment violation. Villarreal was arrested for fact-checking her stories with information from a police officer, raising concerns about constitutional rights.
Read at www.npr.org
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