The Pentagon’s press policy has just taken a hit from a federal judge, who ruled it unconstitutional and blocked it.
Here’s the news via the AP:
A federal judge agreed Friday to block the Trump administration from enforcing a policy limiting news reporters’ access to the Pentagon, ruling that key portions of the new rules are unlawful.
U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman in Washington, D.C., sided with The New York Times and ruled that the Pentagon policy illegally restricts the press credentials of reporters who walked out of the building rather than agree to the new rules.
The New York Times sued the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in December, claiming the credentialing policy violates the journalists’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process.
The current Pentagon press corps is comprised mostly of conservative outlets that agreed to the policy. Reporters from outlets that refused to consent to the new rules, including from The Associated Press, have continued reporting on the military.
And a bit more from Reuters…
BREAKING – A U.S. federal judge rules against the Pentagon’s press policy that revoked our credentials, saying it violates the Constitution.
Key quote: “The Court recognizes that national security must be protected, the security of our troops must be protected, and war plans must be protected. But especially in 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. As Justice Brandeis correctly observed, ‘sunlight is the most powerful of all disinfectants.'”
BREAKING – A U.S. federal judge rules against the Pentagon's press policy that revoked our credentials, saying it violates the Constitution.
Key quote: "The Court recognizes that national security must be protected, the security of our troops must be protected, and war plans…— Phil Stewart (@phildstewart) March 20, 2026
This Clinton-appointee judge acts as though reporters don’t have access to information about all of these things from the most transparent administration in the history of the US. And as far as ‘different perspectives’, what the heck is he talking about? It’s the administration, which has one voice. If they want different perspectives, all these garbage news agencies can have whoever they want on to discuss it.
What we are really talking about here is access to leakers who want to undermine President Trump and Pete Hegseth. That’s why this policy was implemented in the first place and this ruling should be appealed pronto and hopefully overturned.