Pentagon can require escorts for reporters while appealing rulings blocking the policy

An appeals court ruled Monday that the Pentagon can require that journalists have escorts while on the grounds of its headquarters, at least until appeals rulings that found restrictions on reporters who cover the military complex. In October 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth placed a set of restrictions on reporters at the Pentagon, including the ability to revoke passes of reporters it designates as security risks. The New York Times sued the Pentagon the following month, arguing the restrictions violated reporters’ First and Fifth Amendment rights. 
In March, a federal judge tossed major parts of the Pentagon’s policies, which were revised with altered restrictions, which included that journalists have escorts while at the headquarters. It also shuttered a workspace in the building designated for the media, The New York Times reported. 
A federal judge blocked the revised policy, and the Pentagon is appealing that ruling. In its ruling on Monday, the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit concluded that the Pentagon had supported its claim that the policy was important to national security interests. 
Sean Parnell, Pentagon spokesperson, disputed in a post on X that the policy was intended to limit journalism, as has often been reported. He said that credentialed journalists retain access to Pentagon briefings and press conferences, and they can conduct interviews. The policy intended to safeguard classified information and protect American lives. 
“Since implementing the current access policy, the Department has seen a meaningful reduction in these unauthorized disclosures, which when they occur can endanger the lives of service members, intelligence personnel, and our allies,” Parnell said. 

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