Reintroduce the PRESS Act, a Federal Shield Law

No federal shield law exists, so a federal subpoena goes around the 40 state laws that protect reporters' sources.

A letter to your members of Congress. Facts checked September 25, 2026.

The explainer behind this letter Freedom of the Press What the First Amendment protects for reporters, and the threats now

The Letter

Subject Please Reintroduce the PRESS Act to Protect Reporters' Sources

Catherine Herridge is paying $800 a day in contempt fines for refusing to name a confidential source. On July 2, 2026, the Supreme Court declined to halt them. No federal law protects her.

Forty states and the District of Columbia have shield laws that protect reporters' sources, but they bind only state courts. A federal subpoena or grand jury goes right around them. When sources cannot trust a reporter to protect them, the public never learns about the overbilling contractor or the falsified nursing home records.

The PRESS Act would fix that for federal cases, with exceptions for national security. The House passed it by voice vote in January 2024 as H.R. 4250, and it died in the Senate. I have found no version in this Congress.

Please reintroduce or cosponsor the PRESS Act this session.

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Call Your Representative

U.S. Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121

I'm calling to ask my member of Congress to reintroduce or cosponsor the PRESS Act, the federal shield law for reporters.
Catherine Herridge is paying $800 a day in fines for protecting a source, and no federal law protects her.
The House passed the PRESS Act by voice vote in January 2024, and it died in the Senate.
Please bring it back this session. I'm a constituent and I vote.

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The Facts Behind the Ask

$800 a day contempt fines against reporter Catherine Herridge for protecting a source, which the Supreme Court declined to halt (source)
Voice vote House passage of the PRESS Act (H.R. 4250) in January 2024; it died in the Senate (source)
64th U.S. rank out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index (source)

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