House Passes Bill Limiting Ability of Gov't to Spy on Journalists or Compel Disclosure of Sources

While good investigative journalists protect their sources and any information that could lead to the discovery of a source's identity, there's no federal law protecting journalists who refuse to reveal their sources and no law preventing courts from ordering a journalist to reveal their sources. Some journalists have even had their communications with sources and potential interviewees secretly monitored by government agencies, and there's no accountability for that.

While 48 states and the District of Columbia have some kind of laws protecting a journalist's privilege, right now there's no national standard shielding the press from court orders or subpoenas, or even from government surveillance. A bill sponsored by freshman Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) would change that.

An interesting piece of information in comments made by Rep. Jamie Raskin, who co-sponsored the bill, is that he was one of Kiley's law professors at Yale. “With today’s vote, America moves closer to establishing our first federal press shield law. This legislation protects the constitutional promise of a free press and vindicates our founding principle of journalistic freedom for a self-governing people.

Raskin's support of this bill is an example of a broken clock being right twice a day; hopefully it will see quick approval in the Senate.

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Former Marine Fights Back After Nevada Police Steal His Life Savings Under Civil Asset Forfeiture

Stephen Lara was driving to California in February 2021 to visit his daughters when he was pulled over by law enforcement in Nevada. What ensued was nothing resembling a routine traffic stop and ended with the officers violating Lara’s property rights.

The officers seized Lara’s life savings, which amounted to $87,000, without charging him with a crime. They did so by declaring that it was likely being used for drug crimes and stole his money under civil asset forfeiture. Unfortunately for them, they picked the wrong person to target.

The incident began when the officers pulled Lara over, claiming he was driving too close to a truck. “He pulled me over for driving too close to a truck and the next thing you know, I’m being pulled out of the car, and they’re going through my personal belongings and asking me a ton of questions — if I had any bodies in the car or any drugs, any anything illegal,” Lara said. “And I’m thinking to myself, ‘What is going on here?’”

Lara told the police he had money in his car, telling them “I don’t trust banks, so I keep my own money.” He let them search his vehicle where they found the $87,000 along with bank receipts and paystubs.

This story is yet another showing how civil asset forfeiture, also known as “Policing for Profit,” is often abused by the state in order to collect funds. These laws were ostensibly intended to disrupt organized crime by targeting their assets. However, everyday citizens like Lara often find themselves caught up in these operations. The profit motive provided by civil asset forfeiture laws has led to many innocent citizens losing their property and money.

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