James Risen wants his subpoena scrapped.

Risen is the New York Times reporter at the heart of a juicy court case that sits astride important First Amendment and journalism issues. His 2006 book, “State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration,” contains a chapter describing how the CIA blundered in trying to get a former Russian scientist to screw with Iran by giving the country bogus nuclear weapons plans. In 2010, the Justice Department indicted former CIA agent Jeffrey Sterling for leaking national security secrets to Risen for publication in “State of War.”

And the feds are seeking Risen’s testimony in the case. Just weeks ago, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals slapped back Risen’s contentions that he was protected from answering his trial subpoena on First Amendment and common law grounds.

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