Four more journalists get felony charges after covering inauguration unrest

MAJ James Woods - I do not know the answers to that. The police said they were interfering, but there are always 3 sides to a story. I would think that accredited news reporter would be given lead way under the 1st Amendment. No matter the outcome I think this one is going to set a president for law enforcement in the future however it goes. I have no doubt organizations representing the press will help fight this tooth and nail. I believe they should as it will have lifelong effects for every citizen with the decision made in a court of law. I would say the decision on this will come down to what "public safety" is and if the press was contributing to a danger.

I'm sure there is already precedence for this in law...I would find it very surprising if this was the first time an event such as this has occurred.

Guillermo Birmingham - I was a police officer for a long time and my degree is in Police Administration, in all the case law in have reviewed I have not ran across anything that I can remember. That does not mean the case law is not out there, but I would be surprised if there is I always tried to keep up with things like this for roll call briefs before shift. This has 1 of the big 3 for cops to know. Speech, Guns, and Searches. Then add Freedom of the Press and it should be a must know for any rookie.

Guillermo Birmingham I did a quick search and below was all I found several times with different locations. It seems the press gets arrested every once in a while, but nobody seems to press the issue to a higher court. I find that strange. There is plenty of higher court case law on individual freedoms. That was about the extent of what i could search on Google. As people are protesting more as of lately I see this as a issue. If you can find anything please share.

"Journalists should obey orders from law enforcement officers, although authorities sometimes arrest journalists without giving orders first. At least four journalists were among hundreds arrested while covering protests related to the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. The journalists were arrested without warning as police attempted to corral protesters and journalists covering their actions into a fenced parking lot. Days later, police arrested dozens of journalists along with hundreds of protesters after sealing off both sides of a highway overpass."