Pentagon Defies Court Order on Press Access, Judge Rules

A federal judge in Washington has ruled that the Pentagon is defying a court order that required it to restore press badge access for credentialed journalists covering the U.S. military headquarters. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman found that the Defense Department failed to comply with his earlier ruling, which had sided with The New York Times and several other major news organizations.

Judge Friedman sharply criticized the Pentagon's actions, stating that the department cannot simply reintroduce an unlawful policy under a different name and expect the court to ignore it. He described the move as a blatant attempt to get around a lawful court order. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's department had originally introduced a policy in October allowing officials to revoke press badges from journalists deemed security risks, particularly those who sought information from unauthorized military personnel — including, in some cases, unclassified material.

Of the 56 member outlets in the Pentagon Press Association, only one agreed to acknowledge the policy. Those who refused had their press passes revoked. Judge Friedman struck down the original policy on March 20, ruling it violated First Amendment press freedom protections and due process rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and ordered immediate restoration of journalists' credentials.

Rather than comply, the Pentagon introduced a revised "interim" policy that, according to The New York Times, still requires credentialed reporters to have escorts inside the building, imposes new restrictions on source anonymity, and maintains other rules the court had already rejected. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell insisted the department had fully complied with the original order and announced plans to appeal the latest ruling.

The Pentagon Press Association, which includes ABC News, Fox News, Reuters, and the Times, condemned the new rules as a clear violation of both the letter and spirit of Judge Friedman's decision.