Judge Rules Pentagon Violated Press Access Order

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled Thursday that the Defense Department has violated his prior order by implementing a revised policy that restricts journalists' access to the Pentagon, the headquarters of U.S. military operations in Northern Virginia. The decision, in a lawsuit brought by The New York Times, requires the department to restore full credentials and access to affected reporters, marking the second time in a month that Friedman has sided with the newspaper against the policy.

The dispute originated in October, when the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth introduced a credentialing policy that conditioned press access on commitments not to publish unauthorized disclosures, including some unclassified information. This led dozens of news outlets, including members of the Pentagon Press Association, to surrender their badges and report from outside the building rather than comply. The New York Times filed suit in December, arguing the rules infringed on First Amendment rights to free speech and due process.

On March 20, Friedman struck down key provisions of the original policy as unconstitutional, ordering the immediate reinstatement of credentials for...