Supreme Court refuses to halt contempt fines against investigative journalist Catherine Herridge

The Supreme Court refused journalist Catherine Herridge's plea to halt lower court’s ruling of $800 per day fine for not revealing the source of news.

Herridge, a seasoned American investigative journalist, has been associated with Fox News as its chief intelligence correspondent.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper had imposed the fine after she was found guilty in civil contempt for declining to reveal the source for a 2017 story.

Herridge had reported on a federal probe involving Yanping Chen, the founder of the University of Management and Technology in Virginia.

The report highlighted Chen’s alleged links with the Chinese military.

The FBI investigated statements she made on immigration forms describing her work in China in the 1980s.

What led to Herridge being charged with a fine of $800 a day was Chen challenging the federal government, claiming that someone disclosed information about her to Herridge and Fox, which she described as a violation of the Privacy Act.

However, in a statement issued by Fox News Media, maintaining the stance on protecting the source of information.

The statement said, “Protecting the confidentiality of journalistic sourcing and the integrity of the newsgathering process is fundamental to a free and functioning democracy.”

The outlet pressed to uphold the First Amendment and signaled to take the fight head-on, adding, "While we are deeply disappointed by the Court’s decision, our commitment to defending these critical First Amendment principles remains unwavering and we will be reviewing our options to further fight this injustice.”

However, the Supreme Court didn’t provided the detailed reasoning of its ruling, but observed that Justice Brett Kavanaugh would have approved Herridge’s plea to halt the fines.