United States v. Richard Steelhammer, United States of America v. Andrew Gallagher

ALBERT V. BRYAN, Senior Circuit Judge:

Newsreporters appeal their commitment of six months imprisonment for contempt of the District Court in refusing to obey its direction to answer questions of the prosecuting counsel when called to the stand as witnesses under subpoena in a civil contempt trial. They urge vacation of the judgment on the ground that it has deprived them of the protection of a qualified privilege vested in them by the First Amendment, to gather news and so inform the public on matters of public concern.

The rationale of their argument is that if a reporter is compelled to…