Glenn Beck’s Team Won’t Reveal Sources in Lawsuit

Glenn Beck‘s attorneys told a federal judge that they plan to defy a court order to protect confidential sources that gave TheBlaze.com information on a story about the Boston bombing.

According to legalnewz.com, A federal judge in Boston ordered that the conservative media personality reveal who gave his network information implicating Abdulrahman Alharbi, a Saudi Arabian citizen, in the Boston Marathon bombing.

The order was part of a defamation case brought by Alharbi.  During a live broadcast, Beck claimed that Alharbi was involved in the attack, even though investigators had apparently already said he was not implicated. Early in the investigation, Alharbi had been a person of interest but Homeland Security Chief  Janet Napolitano later said, “He was not on a watch list … he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Alharbi said Beck continued to defame him despite knowing this information.

On Wednesday, Beck's attorney Michael Grygiel at Greenberg Traurig filed a letter to the judge saying that this won't happen. The move opens up the possibility of sanctions and even jail time for the popular pundit, assocrding to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Defendants cannot disclose the identities of Confidential Sources 1 and 2 for several compelling reasons," states the letter. "First and foremost, as a matter of fundamental journalistic integrity Defendants cannot disclose the identities of the Confidential Sources without their authorization. As previously represented to the Court, Defendants are justifiably concerned that substantial harm could come to the Confidential Sources if they are identified."

Grygiel continues by telling the judge that if the confidential sources were disclosed, it would be a "near certainty that no confidential sources" would speak to TheBlaze again.

The insistence may trigger an appellate battle on First Amendment grounds. However, Massachusetts has no shield law protecting journalists from having to give up the names of confidential sources.