Judge bars Pentagon escort rule for Times reporters while lawsuit continues

U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman issued a preliminary ruling Tuesday that bars the Pentagon from enforcing its requirement that journalists be accompanied by escorts at all times. The judge found the policy violated the First Amendment and directed the Defense Department to lift the restriction while The New York Times continues its lawsuit.

The escort policy applies to all journalists. It was not immediately clear whether the order applied only to Times reporters or to the entire press corps. The Times continues to cover the U.S. military from outside the Pentagon building.

The newspaper filed its second lawsuit against the Defense Department in May. It had first sued in December over rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The escort policy was implemented in March after Friedman struck down earlier restrictions.

The following month he ruled that an interim policy violated his March order. An appeals court later stayed part of the ruling while the government appealed. The Times and other outlets walked out of the Pentagon in October rather than agree to the restrictions.

A new press corps approved by the department now occupies the space. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted on X that the department “strongly disagrees” with the decision. “This ruling strips away reasonable security measures and will make it easier for sensitive and classified information to reach our adversaries,” he stated.

He added that unescorted access had allowed journalists to observe activity patterns and develop relationships that contributed to unauthorized disclosures. ” He added that the court recognized the policy as a clear violation of the Constitution.