Judge: First Amendment protects newspaper's source

In Manhattan today, U.S. District Judge Robert W. Sweet ruled that the New York Times has a First Amendment right to protect the confidentiality of its sources by denying the government phone records in certain instances, AP reports.

Saying that secrecy in government appears to be on the increase, Sweet refused to dismiss a lawsuit the newspaper filed last year to stop the Department of Justice from getting records of phone calls between two veteran journalists and sources, according to AP. The calls between journalists Judith Miller and Philip Shenon and their sources were made in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.