ALBANY, N.Y.—New York’s top court says state law protects a Fox News reporter from being forced to reveal her sources for a story about a man accused of killing 12 people in a suburban Denver movie theater last year.
The Court of Appeals ruled 4-to-2 Tuesday that the state’s Shield Law supports refusing to recognize a Colorado court’s petition for a subpoena.
Lawyers for James Holmes wanted Jana Winter, who is based in New York-based, brought to a Colorado courtroom to name two law officers who told her Holmes had mailed a notebook depicting violence to a psychiatrist. They argue the sources violated a gag order, may have later lied under oath about that and won’t be credible as trial witnesses.
One of the dissenting judges says New York law doesn’t protect privileged communications in another state.
