Story perspectives

Supreme Court Lets $800-Day Fine Hit Reporter Herridge

7/4/2026

Summary

Herridge Faces Fine

On July 2, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, leaving an $800-a-day contempt fine for reporter Catherine Herridge despite Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s support.
Judge Christopher Cooper held Herridge in contempt, saying scientist Yanping Chen’s lawsuit need outweighed Herridge’s protection.
The $800-a-day fine will take effect after an appeals-court panel upheld the contempt order and will accompany Chen’s 2018 lawsuit alleging Privacy Act violations from leaked interview material.

Summary

Clement Defends

Solicitor General Paul Clement joined Catherine Herridge’s defense, raising the case’s profile.
Herridge left Fox News in 2019, worked for CBS News and was laid off in 2024, now independent.
Yanping Chen’s lawyer says revealing the leaker is required to prove Privacy Act violations.
The court warned that refusal to disclose will raise fines or cause jail, noting a 2020 Wen Ho Lee case settling for $750,000, where journalists faced $500-per-day fines.

History

Historical Context

In 1971 the Supreme Court, hearing arguments on June 25-26, rejected the Nixon administration’s attempt to block the Pentagon Papers, with six justices concurring and three dissenting. That per curiam ruling affirmed the First Amendment’s heavy presumption against prior restraint. Today, journalists facing subpoenas invoke that precedent as press-freedom battles persist in U.S. courts.

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Herridge Faces Fine

On July 2, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, leaving an $800-a-day contempt fine for reporter Catherine Herridge despite Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s support.
Judge Christopher Cooper held Herridge in contempt, saying scientist Yanping Chen’s lawsuit need outweighed Herridge’s protection.
The $800-a-day fine will take effect after an appeals-court panel upheld the contempt order and will accompany Chen’s 2018 lawsuit alleging Privacy Act violations from leaked interview material.

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