California expands journalist shield law, requires third-party subpoena notification

From Reporter Committee for Freedom of the Press: In response to the recent controversy about The Associated Press phone records subpoena, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that would expand the existing shield law for the state’s journalists.

Under the new law, which takes into effect Jan.1, officials are required to notify journalists at least five days before they subpoena third-party providers, such as telephone companies or cloud-based servers, for their records. The bill gives journalists the opportunity to challenge the subpoena in court or at least request the scope be narrowed.

Visit Reporter Committee for Freedom of the Press for more.

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