US Supreme Court rejects appeal by New York Times reporter James Risen
The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear Risen’s case amounts to a stamp of approval for US government prosecutions that violate the First Amendment. ● The US Supreme Court on Monday decided not to intervene in the case of James Risen, an author and reporter who is facing imprisonment for refusing to reveal the identity of one of his sources to the government. The court, in line with the recommendation of the Obama Justice Department, rejected Risen’s petition, upholding a ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Risen is a leading investigative journalist who has exposed various illegal activities carried out by the US government. His recent work includes a piece for Sunday’s New York Times, based on documents leaked by Edward Snowden, in which he documents the National Security Agency’s use of facial recognition technologies to compile facial images of hundreds of millions of people in the US and around the world. Responding to the publication of Risen’s book, the Justice Department filed ten criminal counts against Jeffrey Sterling, believing him to be the source of the leaks. Risen was listed as an intervener in the ensuing case, United States v. Jeffery Sterling. [...] The Risen case is only the latest in a series of attacks on democratic rights launched by the Obama Justice Department, which has brought more cases against so-called “leakers” and whistle-blowers than all previous administrations combined.
New York Times: Supreme Court Rejects Appeal From Times Reporter Over Refusal to Identify Source