On April 9, 2026, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled that the Pentagon violated a court order to restore full access for reporters. The judge found that the Department of Defense (DoD) attempted to circumvent his previous March 20 ruling by implementing a “new” policy that essentially maintained the same unconstitutional restrictions.
Key Findings of the Ruling
- Attempted Evasion: The judge characterized the Pentagon’s revised policy as a “transparent attempt to negate the impact” of his earlier order.
- Unconstitutional Restrictions: The Pentagon’s interim policy required journalists to be escorted at all times and removed their dedicated workspaces (the “Correspondents’ Corridor”), which the judge ruled was a violation of First Amendment rights.
- “Viewpoint Discrimination”: Judge Friedman noted that the policy appeared designed to “weed out disfavored journalists” and replace them with outlets willing to serve the administration’s narrative.
- Control of Information: The ruling stated that the DoD was attempting to “dictate the information received by the American people” and described such suppression as the “mark of an autocracy, not a democracy”.
Next Steps and Pentagon Response
- Compliance Deadline: The judge ordered the Pentagon to fully restore access for New York Times reporters and “all regulated parties” immediately. The DoD must file a sworn declaration certifying compliance by April 16, 2026.
- Pentagon Appeal: Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that the department “disagrees with the ruling and intends to appeal,” maintaining that it has at all times complied with the court’s orders.
- Broader Conflict: The case follows a December lawsuit by The New York Times after mainstream reporters walked out of the building in October rather than agree to the new restrictive rules.
For more details on the ongoing legal battle, you can follow updates from the Associated Press, Reuters, or The Guardian.