Judge orders reporter to give another deposition

Detroit Free Press reporter David Ashenfelter, who has refused a court order to identify his sources in a 2004 article, has been ordered by a federal judge to give a second deposition in the case of a former federal prosecutor who is suing the U.S. Justice Department.  

Ashenfelter refused to answer questions in an earlier deposition, citing his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. He and his lawyers have argued that the reporter could face prosecution if he identifies who in the Justice Department leaked information that the department was investigating Richard Convertino’s conduct in a 2003 terrorism trial in Detroit.  

U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland, in an opinion released today, ordered Ashenfelter to clarify why he fears prosecution so the judge may decide for himself if those fears are valid.