Federal Appeals Court Stays Block on Pentagon Escort Policy

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the Defense Department can require journalists to be escorted while inside the Pentagon, pausing a lower court's order blocking the policy amid ongoing litigation brought by The New York Times.

In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found the Pentagon likely to succeed on the merits of its escort requirement. The ruling grants a stay of U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman's April 9 order, which had determined that the department's updated press access rules violated journalists' First Amendment and due process rights.

The dispute stems from a lawsuit filed by The New York Times late last year challenging the Pentagon's press credentialing policy. Friedman initially blocked earlier restrictions in March, ruling they infringed on reporters' constitutional protections. In response, the Pentagon closed the Correspondents' Corridor inside its headquarters, announced plans for a new workspace at a distant annex and mandated escorts for all media access.

Friedman later concluded the revised policy, implemented under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, used different language but still...