Joshua Wolf v. United States of America
Status:
Closed Case
Jul 27, 2006
Page Media
![ACLU of Northern CA](/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_regular/public/default_images/aclu_blue_bkg_10_1.jpg?itok=zVCBM3xq)
A federal grand jury issued a subpoena seeking the unpublished portions of a journalist's videotape of a political demonstration. The journalist refused to hand over the material, asserting his First Amendment rights. The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed amicus briefs arguing that a journalist does have a qualified First Amendment privilege in such circumstances and that a court must balance the reporter's and the public's interest in effective newsgathering versus the government's interest in compelling disclosure.