Restrained optimism over Ruth Ginsburg.
With restrained optimism, media lawyers await the impact of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. Many of them seem sure that she will be more sympathetic to press pleas than her predecessor, Justice Byron R. White. But they are not certain about just how much better she...

Once again no First Amendment champion.
Any hope that a Democrat in the White House would mean journalism-friendly Supreme Court nominees has all but vanished. President Clinton has now named two justices, and the second may be no more sympathetic to the press than the first (see "The Press and the Law," September 1993). ...

Independent counsel investigations.
I. INTRODUCTION The Independent Counsel statute was enacted during the post-Watergate era as a safeguard against high-level corruption and abuse of the public trust. The statute has since become one of the most controversial political reform laws of modern times, embraced by whichever political party wants to...

Taking Aim At the Privilege.
Microsoft tries unsuccessfully to obtain notes and tapes from two authors. When Microsoft needed to bolster its defense in the antitrust suit filed by the Justice Department, it subpoenaed a manuscript written by two business school professors recounting Microsoft's and Netscape's battle for supremacy in the Internet...

A scandal unfolds.
A behind-the-scenes look at the reporting that triggered the most serious crisis of the Clinton presidency: On Tuesday, January 13, Newsweek Investigative reporter Michael Isikoff got a tip. It was hot. So hot it caused him to gasp, turned his face ashen and forced him out of his...

Reluctant witnesses for the prosecution.
Should a reporter be protected from being forced to reveal the identity of a confidential source? Almost any journalist would answer that question affirmatively. But should a reporter be allowed to refuse to testify about conversations with an on-the-record source? That's a little trickier. Consider...

Still Unraveling A Mystery.
Like any good mystery, the Sam Sheppard story, with all of its plot twists and gruesome details, still makes people wonder. Still--after almost 46 years-curious individuals and crime junkies speculate about the guilt or innocence of the man who inspired the successful movie and television series "The...

Activist wins fight over video of protest.
Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard Eugene videographer and activist Tim Lewis won a battle Tuesday without a legal shot being fired when prosecutors dropped their effort to force him to turn over to a grand jury unpublished segments of a video he recorded at a May 30...

Feds scrutinize generic maker.
India's Ranbaxy Inc., one of the world's top 10 generic drug makers, is being investigated by various arms of the federal government for allegedly introducing "adulterated or misbranded products" into the U.S. market. The company's auditor, Parexel Consulting, is also under scrutiny. According to a subpoena for documents filed...

Shrewsbury police log.
Sunday, Sept. 7 12:09 a.m.: Brook Street, flooded roadway. 1:20 a.m.: Hartford Turnpike, officers opened a drain in the road. 3:29 a.m.: Spring Street, tree limbs were removed from the road. 3:33 a.m.: Spring and Main streets, manhole cover was placed...