Judge Defends Decision to Jail Judy Miller

[kpete]

Judge Defends Decision to Jail Miller

By TONI LOCY
Associated Press Writer

April 28, 2006, 4:55 PM EDT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The federal judge who jailed a former New York Times reporter for refusing to name her source during the CIA leak investigation defended his decision Friday.

Thomas F. Hogan, chief judge of Washington's federal district court, told a meeting of the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association that he made the right call when he ruled there was no First Amendment protection for reporters to keep their sources confidential, especially in criminal matters.

The case of reporter Judith Miller began as a typical Washington political story as the White House tried to push back against critics in a brewing scandal, Hogan told the group.

"It was the perfect storm," he said, of Washington politics, the media and the law.

"Blood was spreading in the water," Hogan said. "The sharks were gathering. It's typical Washington politics, except that this involved the commission of a crime."

more at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-cia-leak-judge,0,2943831,print.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines