UPDATE: TEXAS

UPDATE: TEXAS

04/08/96
A former grand juror who talked to a Houston Chronicle reporter was held in contempt in late March by a trial court in Houston.

The grand juror, Katherine Corcorran, was sentenced to 10 days in jail and fined $500 at a sentencing hearing in early April. The jail time was commuted to community service.

Corcorran was the only grand juror on the 11-member panel who refused to sign an affidavit swearing that she did not speak to Jennifer Lenhart, a Chronicle reporter.

A different trial court held Lenhart in contempt in November 1995 after she refused to reveal her sources on the grand jury panel. In late January, a federal District Court in Houston set aside Lenhart’s contempt order, holding that a qualified First Amendment privilege applied. (Ex Parte Lenhart; Media Counsel: Joel White, Houston)