Journalists and civil libertarians shuddered last week at a chilling decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. By a 7-to-2 vote, the Justices refused to rule on a Florida judge's order that temporarily bars Cable News Network from broadcasting government tapes of discussions between General Manuel Noriega and his defense team. U.S. District Judge William M. Hoeveler must now determine whether CNN's broadcast of the privileged conversations might jeopardize Noriega's right to a fair trial on drug-trafficking charges.
This is the first time lawyers recall the court's allowing a "prior restraint" order to block a news organization from publishing or broadcasting news....
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
