Federal Judge Slaps Pentagon for Flouting Court Order on Press Access

A federal judge has dealt a sharp rebuke to the Pentagon for violating his earlier order restoring press access to reporters, dealing a blow to the Trump administration’s attempts to muzzle journalists covering the military.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled on April 9 that the Defense Department’s new credential policy, which requires reporters to be escorted and closes media offices inside the Pentagon, violates constitutional protections for free speech and due process. This marks the second time in a month the judge has sided with The New York Times in its legal fight against the Pentagon’s crackdown.

“The department simply cannot reinstate an unlawful policy under the guise of taking ‘new’ action and expect the court to look the other way,” Friedman wrote in his decision. He had previously ordered the Pentagon to reinstate press credentials for seven Times reporters and made clear that his ruling applied broadly to all regulated journalists.

The Pentagon, led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has repeatedly tried to evade the court’s mandate by rolling out revised rules that effectively expel reporters unless they are escorted and severely limit independent reporting. These restrictions come amid a pattern of hostility toward mainstream media, with Hegseth reportedly favoring conservative outlets during briefings on sensitive military matters such as the Iran conflict.

The Times accused the Pentagon of violating the March 20 order “both in letter and spirit,” noting that the new policy also attempts to impose unprecedented limits on reporters’ use of anonymous sources. Friedman agreed, stating that the access now offered is a pale shadow of the broad access journalists previously enjoyed.

Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell pushed back, claiming the department has complied with court orders and issued a “materially revised policy” addressing the judge’s concerns. The Pentagon plans to appeal the ruling.

This legal battle traces back to October, when reporters from major outlets staged a walkout rather than accept the Pentagon’s restrictive new rules. The Times filed suit in December to challenge what it called a blatant attack on press freedom.

The Pentagon Press Association, representing reporters including those from the Associated Press, criticized the interim policy for maintaining unconstitutional provisions while layering on new restrictions. Government lawyers argued that the court should not bar the Pentagon from addressing security concerns through press credentialing policies.

The current Pentagon press corps mainly includes conservative outlets that agreed to the new rules, while journalists from outlets like the AP continue reporting from outside the building.

Judge Friedman, nominated by President Bill Clinton, emphasized that the First Amendment was designed to protect a free press as essential to national security and democracy. He called out the Pentagon’s policy as blatant viewpoint discrimination aimed at “weeding out disfavored journalists” and replacing them with compliant voices.

“This is viewpoint discrimination, full stop,” Friedman wrote.

This ruling underscores the ongoing fight against the Trump administration’s authoritarian tactics to control information and suppress independent journalism covering government and military actions. The court’s decision is a crucial defense of press freedom at a time when transparency is more vital than ever.