BREAKING: Opinion In Hatfill Case Handed Down

In the case of Steven Hatfill v. Alberto Gonzales, et al., United States District Judge for the District of Columbia Reggie Walton issued a ruling today that will compel six reporters to “provide full and truthful responses to questions propounded to them by Dr. Hatfill’s attorneys.”

Hatfill, you’ll recall, is the scientist deemed a “person of interest” by the Justice Department in the wake of the 2001 anthrax attacks. Walton will want these reporters to reveal the names of law enforcement sources who provided details of the Hatfill investigation.

Download the full .pdf here.

In his conclusion, Walton writes:

Based on the foregoing analysis, the plaintiff’s Motion to Compel Further Testimony from Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman, Allan Lengel, Toni Locy, and James Stewart [D.E. # 157] is granted. These reporters are therefore ordered to comply with the subpoenas issued to them by Dr. Hatfill and to provide full and truthful responses to questions propounded to them by Dr. Hatfill’s attorneys. On the other hand, the motions to quash the subpoenas of ABC, The Washington Post, Newsweek, CBS, The Associated Press, the Baltimore Sun, and The New York Times are granted.

SO ORDERED this 13th day of August, 2007.

REGGIE B. WALTON
United States District Judge

Klaidman and Iskioff work for Newsweek, Ross works for ABC, Lengel for the Washington Post, Stewart for CBS and Locy for USA Today.

(More Background)

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