Photo Gallery Obama vs. the First Amendment
The ruling against New York Times journalist James Risen could not have come at a more volatile time. In the midst of the revelations by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, the Risen case has shed further light on the Obama administration's unparalleled clampdown on whistleblowers.
President Obama's crusade against official leakers is now being fought on multiple fronts, with Edward Snowden set to leave a Moscow airport this week and WikiLeaks informant Bradley Manning facing trial in Maryland.
Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden's revelations about the US government's extensive data surveillance program have provoked international outrage in recent weeks.
According to Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald, the first journalist to write about the surveillance disclosures, former CIA contractor Snowden -- who is said to be leaving a Moscow airport this week -- has further explosive revelations up his sleeve.
Bradley Manning -- a former US Army private currently on trial for passing documents to WikiLeaks -- is one of several individuals facing prosecution under the stringent Espionage Act.
If Risen continues to ignore the subpoena, he could face jail time for contempt of court. Fellow New York Times reporter Judith Miller, shown here, was imprisoned in 2005 after refusing to testify about her sources in a scandal surrounding the leaked identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame.
