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Simple English definitions for legal terms
shield law
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A quick definition of shield law:
A shield law is a law that protects journalists from having to reveal their confidential sources. This means that if a journalist promises to keep someone's identity a secret, they don't have to tell anyone who that person is. Some states have these laws to help journalists do their job without fear of getting in trouble for protecting their sources. Shield laws can also refer to laws that stop people from talking about a victim's past sexual history in court during a rape or sexual assault case. This is to protect the victim from being blamed for what happened to them.
A more thorough explanation:
A shield law is a type of law that protects journalists from being forced to reveal their confidential sources. This means that if a journalist promises to keep someone's identity a secret, they can't be forced to reveal it in court.
For example, let's say a journalist writes an article about a company that is doing something illegal. They promise to keep the identity of their source, who is an employee of the company, a secret. If the company tries to sue the journalist to reveal the source, the shield law would protect the journalist from having to do so.
Shield laws are important because they allow journalists to do their job without fear of legal repercussions. They also help protect whistleblowers who want to expose wrongdoing without putting themselves in danger.
Some states have broader shield laws than others, but more than half of the states in the US have some form of shield law.