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DETROIT The U.S. Justice Department is sending lawyers to a Detroit courtroom Wednesday for an unusual hearing to determine whether a newspaper reporter should be held in contempt for refusing to identify unnamed sources.

But it's not clear if they'll talk about whether David Ashenfelter could face criminal prosecution if he discloses names. A judge has invited the Justice Department to speak on the matter.

Spokesman Ian McCaleb would only say that government lawyers will be in court.

Ashenfelter of the Detroit Free Press has cited his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. He has refused to say who in the government supplied information for a story in 2004.

An ex-prosecutor, Richard Convertino, wants names as he pursues a lawsuit against the Justice Department, claiming his privacy was violated.