New York court asked to safeguard journalists' right to protect sources New York's top court should stand up for the right of journalists to protect their sources and quash a subpoena ordering a FoxNews.com reporter to reveal who gave her information for a bombshell story following the Colorado movie massacre, a lawyer argued Tuesday. The plea was made before the Court of Appeals on behalf of veteran reporter Jana Winter, who faces jail time if she takes the stand in Colorado and refuses to say who told her about a chilling notebook gunman James Holmes sent to his psychiatrist before the shooting in July, 2012. "It is the essence of press freedom," Winter's attorney, Christopher Handman, said to FoxNews.com after the hearing. It doesn't matter where the communication took place. New York's shield law is designed to protect New York journalists when they report on matters of public concern throughout the nation. The panel is expected to hand down its ruling within a few weeks in the case, which has brought numerous statements of support for Winter from media organizations and First Amendment advocates. If the New York court does not quash the Colorado subpoena, Winter must appear before Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour Jr. on Jan. 3, and either reveal her sources or face an indeterminate jail term. The panel pushed back against Handman's argument about location being irrelevant during the hearing, asking why New York should impose its powerful shield law on a case based in another state. Colorado's shield law protecting journalists has been characterized as flimsy by First Amendment experts. "You want us to say that this journalist cannot be called to Colorado for work she did in the state?" asked Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman. Hardman replied that, "the New York shield law is a categorical immunity." "The record says nothing where this took place," he added when asked by the court if Winter's reporting took place within or outside of Colorado. What matters in this is a New York journalist for a New York company. Handman also said that the court should recognize the damage the subpoena is causing Winter's career as an investigative journalist. Winter has steadfastly protected her sources on the story, but says her sources have been hesitant to talk to her in light of the case. An attorney representing Holmes' interests at the hearing countered Winter's argument. "If this law applies to journalists then this means it applies to lawyers, priests, and doctors," saidHolmes' attorney Daniel Arshack, "A priest would be sent to Colorado [to testify]." The panel also pushed back on the rebuttal by Holmes' attorney. Doesn't it initiate shield law as it happened in New York state? Judge Jenny Rivera asked. Is it not for protecting the news gathering process? Arshack replied, "That's not her [Winter's] choice. She's litigating this exact issue in Colorado. Former New York State Assemblyman Jerry Kremer, who helped draft the shield law in New York, told FoxNews.com,"The original intent of the shield law was to prevent these sorts of intrusions from happening. We intended to protect the press from having to reveal any sources. Scheer and others have argued that Winter's testimony is not needed for the central issue of guilt related to the Holmes case - a key requirement of the Colorado law that was applied to Winter.