In Re Tierney

328 So. 2d 40
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedFebruary 27, 1976
Docket75-774, 75-1105 and 75-1106
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 328 So. 2d 40 (In Re Tierney) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Tierney, 328 So. 2d 40 (Fla. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

328 So.2d 40 (1976)

In re Mary Jo TIERNEY.

Nos. 75-774, 75-1105 and 75-1106.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.

February 27, 1976.

*41 S. Lindsey Holland, Jr., of Crofton, Holland, Starling, Harris & Severs, P.A., Melbourne, for appellant.

Robert L. Shevin, Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, and C. Marie Bernard, Asst. Atty. Gen., West Palm Beach, for appellee.

MAGER, Judge.

This appeal presents the question of whether a news reporter has a qualified privilege to maintain the confidentiality of news sources and thereby refuse to answer questions propounded by a grand jury concluding two investigative matters initiated within.

The appellant was twice adjudged guilty of willful contempt for failure to answer questions propounded to her by the Brevard County Grand Jury which had been in extended session for the purpose of concluding two investigative matters initated *42 during its original term.[1] The matters to be considered by the grand jury during their extended term involved the investigation of two governmental agencies.

Appellant was first subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury on April 15, 1975, which was seeking information relating to a possible violation of section 905.27, F.S.,[2] namely, a "leak" in its then continuing investigation under its extended order. The appellant, who was granted immunity from prosecution for any crime (except perjury) under investigation which might be demonstrated by the testimony sought, declined to answer certain questions which might pertain to some person or persons whose identity would likely disclose the source of the "leak" under investigation. Appellant based her denial upon the ground that her refusal to answer questions was within the right guaranteed to her under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Pursuant to the appellee's petition for a rule to show cause and the consideration of the various other pleadings filed by the parties the trial court on April 30, 1975 entered an order adjudging appellant guilty of willful contempt for her failure to answer questions propounded to her and directing that she be incarcerated for six hours in the Brevard County Jail commencing at 11:30 A.M. on May 13, 1975. The order of contempt contained a proviso stating, in part, that "at such time as Respondent, MARY JO TIERNEY, may reconsider and agree to answer the questions, then she will be entitled to immediate release."

Subsequently another subpoena was issued commanding appellant to appear before the grand jury on May 6, 1975. Appellant appeared, was again granted immunity and again refused to answer questions relating to a possible violation of sec. 905.27, on the same constitutional grounds heretofore cited.[3] On May 30, 1975, appellant was ultimately adjudged guilty of willful contempt for failure to answer questions propounded to her in this second instance. The court directed that appellant be incarcerated for thirty days in Brevard County Jail commencing on May 30, 1975 and pay a fine in the amount of $500. The order of contempt contained the following proviso, "at such time the Respondent, MARY JO TIERNEY, may agree to answer the questions then she will be entitled to immediate release".

The claimed qualified privilege asserted by appellant to exist in these circumstances was carefully and exhaustively examined and rejected by the United States Supreme Court in its landmark decision in Branzburg v. Hayes, 408 U.S. 665, 92 S.Ct. *43 2646, 33 L.Ed.2d 626 (1972). There, Branzburg, a news reporter, had written two different articles on two separate occasions detailing his observations of marijuana activities and interviews with drug users whose identities were not revealed. As a result of these articles Branzburg was subpoenaed to appear before two different grand juries but refused to identify the individuals that were the subjects of these articles. Branzburg was unsuccessful in his efforts to have the state courts recognize the claimed adverse impact on his First Amendment rights which would result from the questions propounded by the grand jury. In the state proceeding which gave rise to review by the United States Supreme Court an order was entered protecting Branzburg from revealing "confidential sources of information" but requiring that he "answer any questions which concern or pertain to any criminal act the commission of which was actually observed by him".[4]

In the Branzburg decision the Supreme Court of the United States clearly recognized the significance and application of First Amendment protection to newsgathering without which "freedom of the press could be eviscerated". The court, however, carefully pointed out that requiring a news reporter to appear before and answer questions propounded by a grand jury did not involve "intrusions upon speech" or a "restriction on what the press may publish" or an "express or implied command that the press publish what it prefers to withhold". In this regard the Supreme Court observed:

"... No exaction or tax for the privilege of publishing, and no penalty, civil or criminal, related to the content of published material is at issue here. The use of confidential sources by the press is not forbidden or restricted; reporters remain free to seek news from any source by means within the law. No attempt is made to require the press to publish its sources of information or indiscriminately to disclose them on request.
"The sole issue before us is the obligation of reporters to respond to grand jury subpoenas as other citizens do and to answer questions relevant to an investigation into the commission of crime. Citizens generally are not constitutionally immune from grand jury subpoenas; and neither the First Amendment nor any other constitutional provision protects the average citizen from disclosing to a grand jury information that he has received in confidence. The claim is, however, that reporters are exempt from these obligations because if forced to respond to subpoenas and identify their sources or disclose other confidences, their informants will refuse or be reluctant to furnish newsworthy information in the future. This asserted burden on news gathering is said to make compelled testimony from newsmen constitutionally suspect and to require a privileged position for them.
"It is clear that the First Amendment does not invalidate every incidental burdening of the press that may result from the enforcement of civil or criminal statutes of general applicability... ." (92 S.Ct. at 2657)

The essence of the Branzburg decision (as reflected in the syllabus of that opinion) is simply that the First Amendment does not relieve a newspaper reporter of the obligation that all citizens have to *44 respond to a grand jury subpoena and answer questions relevant to a criminal investigation, and therefore the Amendment does not afford a constitutional testimonial privilege to conceal facts relevant to a grand jury's investigation of a crime or to conceal the criminal conduct of a source of evidence thereof.

The Supreme Court of the United States refused

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328 So. 2d 40, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-tierney-fladistctapp-1976.