Illinois v. March (Jamie Kalven)
The Reporters Committee and 19 other media organizations filed an amicus brief in support of reporter Jamie Kalven, who was subpoenaed to testify in Illinois v. March by the defendant, former Chicago police detective David March. March and two other officers are facing trial for allegedly conspiring to obstruct justice in the investigation of a fellow officer, Jason Van Dyke, who shot and killed Laquan McDonald, an African American teenager. Kalven’s 2015 reporting revealed facts about the shooting that contradicted the official police account and ultimately led to the release of a police video of the incident and Van Dyke’s and March’s prosecutions. Kalven was also subpoenaed by Van Dyke during his criminal case last year, but the judge in that case granted Kalven’s motion to quash the subpoena. The Reporters Committee and a similar media coalition also filed an amicus brief in that case. This brief supports Kalven’s motion to quash March’s subpoena and emphasizes the importance of the Illinois Reporter’s Privilege Act, which broadly protects both confidential and nonconfidential sources and newsgathering activities.