S. 91793rd CongressSenate Bill

A bill to protect the people's right to know by regulating the testimony of newsmen.

Introduced in the SenateDead

This bill died when its Congress ended.

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Provides that a newsman shall be competent and compellable to testify as a witness in a criminal proceeding before a federal grand jury or a criminal action in a federal court in respect to information gathered by him only for the purpose stated if the following conditions occur with respect to such information: (1) the information is based on the personal knowledge of the newsman rather than on hearsay communications received by him from others; and (2) the information tends to prove or disprove the commission of a crime allegedly committed by a third person which is being investigated by the grand jury or made the subject of prosecution in the courts. States that when a newsman is subpoenaed to testify in a criminal proceeding before a federal grand jury or in a criminal action in a federal court, the newsman may move before the judge of the court in which the grand jury is sitting or in which the criminal action is pending to quash the subpoena on the ground that the testimony sought to be elicited from him does not satisfy the conditions enumerated above.

Introduced Feb 20, 1973
1
Introduced

Filed in the Senate

2
Passed Senate
3
Passed House
4
Became Law

This senate bill has been filed and is working its way through Congress. It will need to pass both the Senate and the House, then be signed by the President to become law.

Who introduced this

SE

Sam Ervin

Democrat

U.S. Senator · NC

2 cosponsors — mostly Republicans

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