Judge rules Pentagon press restrictions unlawful

Published March 20, 2026 6:47pm ET



A federal judge ruled that the Department of War’s restrictive press policy was unlawful, voiding most of its provisions.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, ruled in favor of the New York Times’s lawsuit on First Amendment grounds. In his view, the restrictive measures violated reporters’ right to cover the military.

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