Jeffrey J. Pyle Quoted in Boston Metro Regarding Proposed Bill That Could Jail Journalists for Identifying Child Witnesses

Proposed Senate Bill 785 would prohibit "attendees" of a criminal trial, including "members of the media," from disclosing the name of any minor witness to a crime, and from disclosing "any other information" about such a witness.  The bill would also prohibit publication of any picture of such a witness, whether taken in court or not, and would require any information about the witness to be filed under seal, without the necessity of a court order.  

Discussing the bill, Prince Lobel Media Law Practice Group partner Jeff Pyle stated, “It’s exceptionally broad and patently unconstitutional. This bill doesn’t take into account the public interest and simply imposes a one-size-fits-all solution that violates the First Amendment.

Click here to read the rest of the Metro article, and click here to read a client alert Jeff wrote on this topic.