Key facts
- The Supreme Court declined to intervene in a civil contempt case against former Fox News reporter Catherine Herridge.
- Herridge faces a daily fine of $800 for refusing to reveal her confidential sources.
- The fine is linked to a lawsuit filed by scientist Yanping Chen, who was investigated by the FBI.
- Chen sued the FBI and Justice Department, alleging violations of the Privacy Act due to leaked information.
- A judge ruled Chen's need to identify the source outweighed Herridge's right to shield confidentiality.
The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to intervene in a case where a former Fox News reporter, Catherine Herridge, is being fined $800 per day for refusing to reveal her confidential sources. The fine is part of a civil contempt ruling stemming from a lawsuit filed by scientist Yanping Chen, who was investigated by the FBI but never charged.
Chief Justice John Roberts had previously placed a temporary hold on the fine while the court considered Herridge's emergency appeal. However, the court ultimately denied her request to stay the fine, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh supporting the application for a stay. Herridge published a series of stories in 2017 examining Chen's ties to the Chinese military and allegations of using a professional school to aid the Chinese government. These stories reportedly relied on leaked documents, personal photographs, and internal FBI information.
Chen sued the FBI and the Justice Department in 2018, alleging violations of the Privacy Act due to the public disclosure of private information without her consent. Her lawsuit stated that the leaks upended her personal and professional life, leading to threats. A judge ordered Herridge to disclose her sources in a deposition, ruling that Chen's need for the information in her lawsuit outweighed the reporter's right to protect her sources. Herridge refused to answer questions about her sources during her deposition, leading to the contempt finding and the imposition of the daily fine, which was upheld by an appeals court panel.