Stars and Stripes ombudsman sues Defense Department over April firing

Jacqueline Smith, the ombudsman at Stars and Stripes, filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court in Washington, D.C., against the Defense Department. The complaint states that officials removed her from the position ten days after she wrote an opinion column criticizing new Pentagon rules on the newspaper.

The suit alleges the termination was retaliatory and violated her First Amendment rights. It claims Defense officials sought to undermine the outlet's editorial independence as part of a broader effort to control reporting on national security matters.

Smith was removed before the end of her three-year term, which was scheduled to conclude in December. The ombudsman position was established by Congress in 1991 to monitor editorial independence and report concerns to lawmakers.

Pentagon policy changes A March memo from the Pentagon required that content be consistent with military good order and discipline and barred the newspaper from publishing cartoons or stories from other commercial outlets. Smith wrote that the changes occurred within a broader context of restricting mainstream media access.

The lawsuit names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, and top Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell as defendants. It seeks damages from Parnell, stating he was personally involved in the termination decision. Stars and Stripes has operated under an independent framework established in 1994, even though its staff members are Pentagon employees and the agency provides partial funding.

Two advisory board members filed a similar lawsuit earlier this month alleging the overhaul undermines editorial independence. The complaint asks a federal judge to block the Pentagon's efforts to exert control over the outlet. A Pentagon spokesperson stated at the time that the earlier lawsuit lacked merit and the department expected to prevail.