This session state lawmakers passed a shield law for journalists after making sure it didn't rile the sensibilities of Texas prosecutors.

A shield law exempts journalists from testifying in civil and criminal cases--making it easier for them to protect their sources--and thus inform the public. But the state's state's district attorneys felt the measure would impede them from trying certain cases and only signed on to HB 670 after writing in several exceptions.

Hopefully they don't have any regrets. This week Katy Kiser, a reporter for KIII-TV3, a television station in Corpus Christi, successfully invoked the new Texas shield law to avoid testifying in a sexual assault case.

Kiser was not a witness to the crime but had interviewed a homeless man now on trial in a sexual assault case. The television station reports that even though the assistant district attorney in the case, Bill Ainsworth, had the copy of the story, he wanted Kiser to testify at the trial anyway to verify the tape and answer other questions.

Ainsworth even threatened to arrest Kiser if she did not comply with his order.

From KIII-TV3:

TV-3 station attorney Jorge Rangel filed a motion saying there was no need for Kiser to testify citing the new shield law known as the Free Flow of Information Act, and today, presiding Judge Sandra Watts agreed.

In the new shield law, the legislature excluded writers who blog as a hobby or only get a small portion of income from their blogging. More details by Matt Glazer at Burnt Orange Report.