A federal judge reviewing The New York Times’ latest challenge of press restrictions at the Pentagon has sided with the outlet, granting news media temporary reprieve from the Trump administration’s requirements for press to be escorted in specified areas of the Pentagon, while the lawsuit against the restriction and other requirements is ongoing.
The case began in December 2025, when The New York Times sued the Department of War (DoW) over its new press credentialing policy. The Pentagon had earlier introduced tightened access over concerns about national and operational security, requiring journalists to agree not to report information that had not been approved for public release. Many outlets challenged the policy as an unconstitutional restriction on press freedom.The policy was ruled unconstitutional by U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman in March. In response, the Pentagon issued an interim policy with escort requirements for press access to areas previously accessible unescorted—such as the Pentagon Press Briefing Room, the Correspondents’ Corridor that had dedicated workspace for journalists, and areas in the vicinity of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s office—scaling back reporters’ ability to roam the Pentagon’s corridors. The workspaces were to be moved to an “annex facility” on Pentagon grounds but outside the building.In June 2026, the Pentagon designated parts of its press office as a classified space, barring unescorted journalists from entering. Access to certain areas on the first floor, including the center courtyard and food court, and some corridors and entrance areas on the second floor remained escort-free.The New York Times sued again, arguing that the restrictions remained in violation of the existing court order. A federal judge on April 9 ordered the Pentagon to continue to grant escort-free access to the press. The Pentagon then sought and won a narrow stay, allowing it to implement only the escort requirements in the Interim Policy while its appeal is pending.
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