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Alabama Supreme Court Weighs Scope of State Reporter Shield in New York Times Case
Summary
In a certified-question hearing, the court considered whether Alabama's shield statute protects information that would reasonably identify a confidential source and whether it covers publications appearing both in print and online. The court discussed standards such as "reasonably likely" and in-camera review and took the matter under submission.
The Supreme Court of Alabama heard argument in The New York Times Company v. Kai Spears on whether Alabama's reporter shield statute protects information that would reasonably identify a confidential source and whether that protection extends to a newspaper published both in print and online. Chad Bowman, arguing for the Times, said Alabama's statute was enacted to encourage sources and that courts should protect not only names but documents and other details that would "reasonably identify" a confidential source.
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