Statement by Daniel M. Gluck, Senior Staff Attorney, 4/4/13
"The ACLU of Hawaii supports removing the sunset provision in the current media shield law and making that law permanent. The law has worked well for the last five years, and both the ACLU and the Supreme Court Standing Committee on the Rules of Evidence believe that while the law could be improved with some minor revisions (e.g., by providing some additional protections to criminal defendants), the law in its current form is perfectly acceptable.
With H.B. 622 HD1 SD1, lawmakers in the House and the Senate have recommended substantial revisions that severely weaken the media shield law, and the ACLU hopes that the bill will be re-worked in Conference Committee. Although the ACLU of Hawaii has been working with lawmakers on the media shield legislation, the amendments to the bill are not endorsed by the ACLU."
Learn more:
- ACLU testimony on H.B. 622, 1/29/13
- ACLU testimony on H.B. 622, HD1, 3/28/13
