As a member of the Shield Law Steering Committee (the “Committee”), Jeffrey S. Portnoy, a partner in Cades Schutte’s Litigation Department, has been spearheading the effort to codify these protections. Hawai‘i’s shield law was first enacted in 2008 but had sunset in 2013, now it is one of two states that does not have such protections (the other state being Wyoming).
In the Committee’s news release, Jeff, who was instrumental in drafting the legislation in 2008 said, “The statute should never have been allowed to sunset for purely political reasons. It took more than a decade to make things right. I applaud the Hawaii legislature for reviving what many have called one of the most significant shield laws in the nation.”
HB1502 would provide protections for both traditional and digital news outlets by limiting “compelled disclosure of sources or unpublished information for journalists, newscasters, and persons participating in the collection or dissemination of news or information or substantial public interest,” with established exceptions.
