US judge orders Pentagon to restore journalists’ access to military news coverage

Author: Darren Lyn

Published date: 10 April 2026

Last updated: 10 April 2026

A US judge ruled on Thursday that the Pentagon must allow credentialed journalists to cover news related to the United States military. Last year, the Trump administration imposed restrictions on reporters from the New York Times and other news outlets. US District Judge Paul Friedman declared these restrictions unconstitutional and ordered the Pentagon to reinstate access for affected journalists.

In his ruling, Friedman criticized the Pentagon’s actions, particularly those of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as an attempt to bypass a lawful order of the court. Hegseth had previously stated that journalists could lose their press badges if they sought unauthorized military information.

The New York Times, the main plaintiff in the case, informed Friedman that the Pentagon had not complied with his order. Instead, the Pentagon introduced a new “interim” policy that went against the court ruling, restricting journalists with press passes and maintaining other rules that had been rejected by the court.

Judge Friedman emphasized the importance of protecting First Amendment rights and denounced any attempts to suppress political speech. He concluded that curtailing these rights is dangerous, especially during times of conflict, stating that such actions are characteristic of autocratic regimes, not democracies.