US judge blocks Pentagon’s restrictive press access policy

NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration’s restrictive Pentagon press access policy, which threatens journalists with being branded security risks if they seek unauthorized information for public release.

The lawsuit filed by the New York Times in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleged that policy changes made by the Department of Defense last year gave it free rein to block journalists and media outlets from covering coverage the department didn’t like, in violation of constitutional protections for free speech and due process.

President Donald Trump’s administration has denied that characterization and said the policy is reasonable and necessary to protect the military.

Changes approved under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in October 2025 state that journalists can be considered security risks and have their press credentials revoked if they ask unauthorized military personnel to reveal classified and, in some cases, unclassified information.

Of the Pentagon Press Association’s 56 media outlets, only one agreed to sign an acknowledgment of the new policy, according to the Times lawsuit. Journalists who did not sign handed in their press passes.

The Pentagon assembled a new press corps made up of pro-Trump outlets and media personalities after the exodus of reporters, which the Times said was evidence that the policy is aimed at stifling unflattering coverage.

The policy states that publishing sensitive information “is generally protected by the First Amendment,” but says officials could consider requesting that information when determining whether a journalist poses a “safety or security risk.”

Win McNamee via Getty Images

In its lawsuit, the Times said the policy illegally restricts essential news-gathering techniques and gives the Pentagon “unlimited” discretion to revoke passes, allowing it to impose the kind of “viewpoint-based” restrictions on the press prohibited by the Constitution.

Justice Department lawyers acknowledged that the policy was partly subjective, but said decisions about press credentials were still governed by neutral and objective criteria. The government also said that asking military personnel to commit a crime by disclosing unauthorized information was not legally protected speech.

The policy change was criticized by journalism advocates, who called it another attack on the free press by Trump and his administration.

The News has a pending lawsuit against Trump administration officials over its removal from the White House press corps after the news agency decided to continue using the established name of the Gulf of Mexico, while acknowledging Trump’s executive order asking American institutions to refer to it as the Gulf of America.

The AP said the decision was illegal discrimination based on viewpoint, while the government responded that it had broad discretion over decisions about press access to non-public spaces.

(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Kate Mayberry)