In Miller case, history repeats itself

Writing in today's Washington Post, media lawyer Nathan Siegel says that the Judith Miller scenario has repeated itself in almost every generation since the beginning of modern American journalism, but each time with new protections for the subsequent generation of journalists. He writes:

"This pattern is not mere coincidence. Rather, I think, it reflects a fundamental conflict between the judiciary and the press that tends to recur whenever a new generation of judges and prosecutors uninfluenced by the memory and lessons of prior conflicts emerges. This time either Congress or the Supreme Court should take the lessons of history to heart and put this recurring controversy to rest."