Opinion ID: 1345677
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: History of California's Shield Law

Text: Newspersons had no privilege or immunity under common law to refuse to disclose the identity of their confidential sources. ( Ex Parte Lawrence and Levings (1897) 116 Cal. 298, 300 [48 P. 124] [upholding contempt citations issued to a newspaper reporter and editor for refusing to disclose confidential sources to the state Senate]; Mitchell v. Superior Court (1984) 37 Cal.3d 268, 274, fn. 3 [208 Cal. Rptr. 152, 690 P.2d 625] [noting prohibition in Evidence Code section 911 of common law privileges]; Tent. Recommendation and Study Relating to the Uniform Rules of Evidence, art. V, Privileges (Feb. 1964) 6 Cal. Law Revision Com. Rep. (1964) p. 488 [noting that the newsmen's privilege is entirely alien to the common law].) [1] In 1935 the Legislature passed the first shield law. (Stats. 1935, ch. 532, § 1, pp. 1608-1610.) The statute, which was codified as Code of Civil Procedure section 1881, subdivision 6, provided that newspaper employees could not be adjudged in contempt for refusal to disclose their sources to courts or legislative or administrative bodies. Subsequent amendments extended the immunity to employees of radio and television stations, press associations, and wire services. (Stats. 1961, ch. 629, § 1, pp. 1797-1798.) In 1965 the Legislature transferred these statutory provisions to Evidence Code section 1070, which became effective in 1967. (Stats. 1965, ch. 299, § 2, pp. 1297, 1323-1335; Evid. Code, § 12.) [2] In 1972, a plurality of the United States Supreme Court concluded that the First Amendment to the federal Constitution does not provide newspersons with even a qualified privilege against appearing before a grand jury and being compelled to answer questions as to either the identity of news sources or information received from those sources. ( Branzburg v. Hayes (1972) 408 U.S. 665 [33 L.Ed.2d 626, 92 S.Ct. 2646].) The high court made clear, however, that state legislatures are free, within First Amendment limits, to fashion their own standards. ( Id., at p. 706.) [3] In 1974 the California Legislature amended section 1070 to its present form, apparently in response to Branzburg, supra, 408 U.S. 665. (Stats. 1974, ch. 1323, § 1, p. 2877; Stats. 1974, ch. 1456, § 2, p. 3184.) That amendment expanded the scope of the shield law to protect against the compelled disclosure of unpublished information as well as sources. In June 1980, California voters approved Proposition 5, a state constitutional amendment proposed by the Assembly. (Assem. Const. Amend. No. 4, Stats. 1978 (1977-1978 Reg. Sess.) res. ch. 77, pp. 4819-4820.) The proposition incorporated language virtually identical to section 1070 into the California Constitution, as article I, section 2, subdivision (b). [4]