Federal judge nukes Pentagon media escort requirement

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Courthouse News Service

June 30, 2026


WASHINGTON (CN) — A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Pentagon from enforcing an escort requirement for journalists to enter the building, marking the third time Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s national security claims have faltered in court.

Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman granted the New York Times request for a preliminary injunction after ruling the provision violates the First Amendment “twice over,” because it was issued in retaliation for the news outlet’s lawsuit, and because it amounts to an unreasonable and viewpoint discriminatory restriction on a nonpublic forum.

“This court has spoken at several points about the critical importance of protecting the freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment, and that evergreen message bears repeating: ‘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,’” the Bill Clinton appointee wrote, quoting his initial ruling for the Times. “‘That principle has preserved the nation’s security for almost 250 years.’ As our country celebrates its 250th anniversary this very week, that principle must not be abandoned now.”

Tuesday’s decision is the latest chapter in the Defense Department’s effort to take complete control of the information coming out of the Pentagon, which first began with a new press policy in October 2025 that led to an exodus of veteran journalists.

Read more: https://courthousenews.com/federal-judge-nukes-pentagon-media-escort-requirement/

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Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.292479/gov.uscourts.dcd.292479.17.0.pdf


REFERENCES

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143465455
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143465572
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143657354
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143666985

[dave99]

1. Secretary of (No) Defense Pete Hegseth must be on his 3rd bottle of whisky by now

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Court Halts Pentagon Rule Requiring Escorts for Journalists (New York Times Gift Article)

A federal judge temporarily blocked a new rule that restricted reporters’ access to the Pentagon, in a lawsuit brought by The New York Times

Link to tweet

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/business/media/pentagon-journalists-escort-rule.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uFA.i5QE.fAv3HT4ufqua&smid=url-share

A federal judge ordered the Pentagon on Tuesday to temporarily lift a requirement that all journalists visiting the building be accompanied by an official escort while The New York Times sues to overturn the rule. The decision was another rebuke to the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict reporters who cover the military complex.

In a preliminary ruling, Judge Paul L. Friedman, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said the escort policy violated the First Amendment.

“This court has spoken at several points about the critical importance of protecting the freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment, and that evergreen message bears repeating,” he wrote.

The decision is a preliminary victory for The Times. It bars the Defense Department from enforcing the escort rule against the newspaper’s Pentagon reporters. It is not clear when others in the Pentagon press corps will get the same relief.,,,,

The Pentagon has argued that its escort policy is critical to its obligation to protect national security, and that reporters who circulate without escorts are able to “maintain a persistent physical presence near sensitive spaces within the Pentagon,” according to the court declaration of one official. It said journalists had used their roaming privileges to corral sensitive information.

Hegseth hates the free press. This is a great ruling and should stand up on appeal until it gets to SCOTUS.