Judith Miller is a former reporter for The New York Times and author of four books on the Middle East, biological weapons and the Holocaust. For information on her prosecution for refusing to reveal sources to federal prosecutors, see the news section of this Web site or the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War by Judith Miller, William Broad, Stephen Engelberg Simon & Schuster, 2001 God Has Ninety-Nine Names: A Reporter's Journey Through a Militant Middle East by Judith Miller Simon & Schuster, 1996 Created and maintained pro-bono by Joshua Tanzer, web developer and journalist in New York City. • Resume • Web site • Contact Write to Congress in Support of Federal Shield Laws Protecting Journalists PEN American Center, July 2005 The Supreme Court’s recent refusal to review the convictions of journalists Judith Miller and Matthew Cooper means that Miller and Cooper may soon be ordered to serve jail time. And they may not be alone: The day after the Supreme Court announced it would not hear that Miller’s and Cooper’s case, contempt orders against four reporters in a civil suit brought by scientist Wen Ho Lee were upheld by a federal court in Washington D.C., meaning that the United States could soon have six journalists in prison for refusing to disclose confidential sources. PEN strongly supports legislation now pending in the U.S. Congress to extend to journalists at the federal level the same protections they enjoy under laws effective in 49 states and the District of Columbia. These state “shield laws” 1) ensure that journalists can honor assurances of confidentiality for sources; and 2) define the circumstances under which law enforcement, prosecutors, and others may compel journalists to surrender confidential information or material. These laws work well and have strong support at the state level, both from press advocates and prosecutors: 34 State Attorneys General filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of Miller and Cooper asking the Supreme Court to hear their case and supporting federal shield protections for journalists. The Free Flow of Information Act of 2005, which is currently before Congress, would protect Miller, Cooper, and other journalists in their position. Original article How to help Several senators and representatives have introduced legislation to create a federal shield law for journalists comparable to that provided by 49 states. Here is information from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press on those bills: Identical bills in the House and Senate would both give journalists an absolute privilege in protecting the identities of confidential sources. H.R. 581 was sponsored by Reps. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Rick Boucher (D-Va.). S. 340 was subsequently introduced by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.). Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) has also introduced a reporter's shield bill (S. 369) -- while also signing on as a co-sponsor of the Lugar bill. Dodd had also introduced a bill late in the last congress, but no action was taken. For more information, see the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press at RCFP.ORG. Or contact the bills' sponsors: Sen. Richard Lugar (202) 228-0360 senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov Contact page Rep. Mike Pence (202) 225-3021 Contact page Rep. Rick Boucher (202) 225-3861 Ninthnet@mail.house.gov Contact page Sen. Christopher Dodd (202) 224-2823 Contact page