APPEALS COURT OVERTURNS SUBPOENA OF REPORTER'S NOTES

The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled this week that a newspaper reporter's notes of a conversation with a man who shot two police officers and them himself should not be handed over to the county attorney. Mankato Free Press reporter Dan Nienaber was among the last to talk to Jeff Skjervold before he apparently killed himself just before Christmas 2006. County Attorney Ross Arneson said he needed information not published in the newspaper account to "prevent an injustice" but the Appeals Court said Arneson didn't say which injustice he wanted to prosecute. Attorney Mark Anfinson said few cases are brought challenging Minnesota's reporter shield law. Anfinson said unless you have a compelling case, you should probably forget trying to subpoena a journalist.