Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: FRIDAY, July 7, 1995 TAG: 9507070086 SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY SOURCE: DATELINE: COLUMBIA, S.C. LENGTH: Short
South Carolina's Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the need for Twila Decker to reveal her source far outweighs any ``asserted'' First Amendment right to keep it a secret.
``Decker must divulge her source or suffer the consequences,'' the court said in its ruling, without specifying a deadline.
Decker, a reporter for the The State newspaper in Columbia, was found in contempt on May 26 for refusing to reveal who told her that state doctors had found Smith competent to stand trial but that she had a mental disorder that may have contributed to her actions.
- Associated Press
Memo: NOTE: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.