Appeals court blocks fines for reporter

[WhiteTara]

Source: USA Today

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court Tuesday temporarily blocked a lower court's order requiring a former USA TODAY reporter to pay thousands of dollars in fines.

Toni Locy would not identify sources who named former Army scientist Steven Hatfill as a possible suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks. Lawyers for Locy, now a West Virginia University journalism professor, had requested that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit block the fines while they appealed a contempt order by U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton.

The fines of up to $5,000 a day were set to begin at midnight Tuesday. Walton had ordered that Locy — not her former employer or others — pay the fines as long as she refused to identify her sources who linked Hatfill to the attacks that killed five people.

In the brief court ruling Tuesday afternoon, a three-judge panel said Locy had "satisfied the stringent standards required" for the stay. No date was set for a hearing by the court on the contempt appeal.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-03-11-locy_N.htm

---

Toni Locy

I'm happy to see some sanity somewhere in this mad world

[davidinalameda]

1. this is fantastic!