Lawyers for the Billy Wright tribunal have asked a judge at the Belfast High Court to punish DUP Assembly member Ian Paisley Junior for contempt.
The North Antrim MLA has refused to reveal the name of a senior prison officer who gave him information relating to the inquiry into Mr Wright's murder at the Maze jail in 1997.
Mr Paisley's constituent gave the information two years ago confidentially.
It related to an alleged policy regarding the destruction of prison files at the Maze jail.
A lawyer representing the tribunal told a judge no one accepts that they authorised the improper destruction of files.
He said the information provided was useless without the name of the prison officer.
The tribunal served the Assembly member with a summons for contempt.
The judge said Mr Paisley was in defiance of a court order, but any response had to be proportionate, however rash the MLA may have been.
After fresh information was given to court by counsel for Mr Paisley, the judge has asked him to lodge a sworn affidavit to confirm he had made two approaches to his source to release him from the bond of confidentiality.
Mr Paisley sat in court along with his father Ian Paisley, MP for North Antrim and former DUP leader, to listen to the deliberations.
The judge is expected to give his ruling tomorrow.
