
U.S. Judge Blocks Restrictive Pentagon Press Access Policy
HuffPost
President Donald Trump’s administration has said the policy is reasonable and necessary to protect the military.
NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration’s restrictive Pentagon press access policy, which threatens journalists with being branded security risks if they seek information not authorized for public release.
The lawsuit by the New York Times in the Washington D.C. federal court alleged that policy changes by the Defense Department last year gave it free rein to freeze out reporters and news outlets over coverage the department did not like, in violation of the Constitution’s protections for free speech and due process.
President Donald Trump’s administration has denied that characterization and said the policy is reasonable and necessary to protect the military.
The changes approved under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in October 2025 state that journalists can be deemed security risks and have their press badges revoked if they solicit unauthorized military personnel to disclose classified, and in some cases unclassified, information.
Of the 56 news outlets in the Pentagon Press Association, only one agreed to sign an acknowledgment of the new policy, according to the Times’ lawsuit. Reporters who did not sign surrendered their press passes.













