Bob Latham and Miguel Ortiz Represent Nexstar Journalist Subpoenaed to Testify at Court-Martial of Fort Bliss Soldier

October 5, 2021 | Client Results



Jackson Walker represented an investigative journalist for Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. After breaking a story about a sexual assault scandal at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, the journalist was subpoenaed to testify at the court-martial of the accused soldier regarding his communications with other victims who came forward after the story was published. Dallas attorneys Bob Latham and Miguel Ortiz prepared a motion to quash the subpoena.

At a pre-trial hearing just days before the court-martial was set to begin, Miguel—who served as an enlisted paralegal in the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps and was responsible for key administrative functions for court-martial proceedings prior to law school—appeared before a military judge and highlighted the subpoena’s legal and procedural deficiencies under the military rules of evidence and federal common law. The judge limited the potential involvement of the journalist enough that the defense did not call him as a witness.

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