A Clinton-appointed judge has struck down a more restrictive press policy instituted last year by War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
In October, Hegseth instituted a new policy restricting reporters’ access to certain areas of the Pentagon without an escort and also requiring them to wear visible badges.
The policy further said that reporters couldn’t solicit or obtain any intel from the War Department that the department hadn’t authorized.
The mainstream press responded to the policy by crying that Hegseth was attacking the First Amendment:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Journalists begin leaving Pentagon after refusing to sign Trump administration agreements on rules of access.
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) October 15, 2025
Afterward, The New York Times and reporter Julian E. Barnes sued, arguing that the new policy was violating the free speech and due process rights of so-called journalists.
In a ruling issued Friday, senior U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman agreed with Hegseth’s critics and voided several parts of the policy — namely the ones regarding unauthorized information.
“A primary purpose of the First Amendment is to enable the press to publish what it will and the public to read what it chooses, free of any official proscription,” he wrote in his ruling.
“Those who drafted the First Amendment believed that the nation’s security requires a free press and an informed people and that such security is endangered by governmental suppression of political speech. That principle has preserved the nation’s security for almost 250 years. It must not be abandoned now,” he added.
He also cited the “recent incursion into Venezuela” and the war in Iran.
“[I]n light of the country’s recent incursion into Venezuela and its ongoing war with Iran, it is more important than ever that the public have access to information from a variety of perspectives about what its government is doing – so that the public can support government policies, if it wants to support them; protest, if it wants to protest; and decide based on full, complete, and open information who they are going to vote for in the next election,” he wrote.
NEW: US District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman has blocked the Pentagon policy restricting journalists’ access.
In granting an injunction sought by the @nytimes, Friedman wrote:
“A primary purpose of the First Amendment is to enable the press to publish what it will & the public…
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) March 20, 2026
The Times celebrated the ruling.
“The district court’s decision is a powerful rejection of the Pentagon’s effort to impede freedom of the press and the reporting of vital information to the American people during a time of war,” the paper’s attorney told CNN.
“Americans deserve visibility into how their government is being run, and the actions the military is taking in their name and with their tax dollars,” the paper’s spokesperson likewise told the Associated Press. “Today’s ruling reaffirms the right of The Times and other independent media to continue to ask questions on the public’s behalf.”
The Trump administration has indicated it intends to appeal the ruling:
We disagree with the decision and are pursuing an immediate appeal. https://t.co/62G60P9CPx
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) March 20, 2026
As part of the ruling, Friedman ordered the War Department to reinstate the credentials of seven Times “journalists” and also insisted that this stipulation applies to “all regulated parties.”
Buoyed by this part of the ruling, the Pentagon Press Association released a statement calling for its own members, which include AP reporters, to also have their credentials reinstated.
This is Hegseth’s second legal loss in weeks.
“Last month, another judge who sits in the same courthouse said the secretary had run afoul of the free speech rights of a Democratic senator when he attempted to retaliate against the lawmaker over his urging of US service members to refuse illegal orders,” CNN notes.
That lawmaker was Sen. Mark Kelly.
In November, several Democrats with military backgrounds published a 90-second video urging members of the military to “refuse illegal orders.” Kelly was one of the Dems featured in the video.
We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community.
The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.
Don’t give up the ship. pic.twitter.com/N8lW0EpQ7r
— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) November 18, 2025
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.