The US Supreme Court on Thursday declined to halt the $800 a day fine for former Catherine Herridge after a judge held her in contempt for refusing to give up her confidential sources.

Justice Kavanaugh dissented.

BREAKING: #SCOTUS snubs former Fox reporter Catherine Herridge, lower court order imposing $800 a day contempt sanctions for refusing to disclose source will take effect. Justice Kavanaugh notes his dissent.
Doc: https://t.co/uK59jM9r7l

— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) July 2, 2026

In 2024, Catherine Herridge, an Emmy-winning and nominated reporter known for her work on national security and intelligence, was held in civil contempt by an Obama-appointed federal judge for her refusal to unmask her confidential sources related to a blockbuster story on how there is an infiltration from China in US universities.

In August 2024, US District Court for the District of Columbia, Christopher Cooper, ordered Herridge to sit down for a sworn deposition regarding a confidential source she used for a 2017 story she covered on a Department of Defense-funded school that was at the center of federal investigations over Chinese military ties while she was at Fox News.

The judge ordered Herridge to turn over her source(s) in response to a lawsuit that was filed by Chinese-American scientist Yanping Chen against the FBI. Chen subpoenaed Herridge in an effort to find out who her sources were.

Herridge argued she should not be forced to disclose her source because of her First Amendment rights.

Judge Cooper, an Obama appointee, disagreed and forced Herridge to unmask her source.

“The Court recognizes both the vital importance of a free press and the critical role that confidential sources play in the work of investigative journalists like Herridge,” Cooper wrote in the ruling in August 2024.

“But applying the binding case law of this Circuit, the Court concludes that Chen’s need for the requested evidence overcomes Herridge’s qualified First Amendment privilege in this case.”

Herridge refused to disclose her sources during the deposition so she was threatened with contempt charges and potential jail time.

Judge Cooper held Herridge in contempt and imposed a daily fine of $800 on her – and the ‘scientist’ who filed the lawsuit previously asked the court to expedite the appeal so Herridge can face the $800 per day fines ASAP.

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