Friedman agreed, writing in a 20-page opinion on Thursday that the Pentagon\u2019s continued restrictions on reporters\u2019 ability \u201cto engage in the routine, lawful journalistic activity of asking questions\u201d violated his March 20 order.<\/p>\n\n\n
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\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t'Morning Joe' Slams Pete Hegseth's 'Pathetic' Media Attacks Over Iran War Casualties: 'So Childish' | Video<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Court cannot conclude this Opinion without noting once again what this case is really about: the attempt by the Secretary of Defense to dictate the information received by the American people, to control the message so that the public hears and sees only what the Secretary and the Trump administration wants them to see,\u201d Friedman wrote. \u201cThe Constitution demands better. The American public demands better, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSuppression of political speech is the mark of an autocracy, not a democracy,\u201d added Friedman, a Bill Clinton appointee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Today’s decision upholds our constitutional rights again and sends a clear message to the Pentagon. Compliance with a lawful order of a court is not optional; it is required in a democracy committed to the rule of law,” a spokesperson for The New York Times said in a statement to TheWrap later Thursday. “We are pleased that Judge Friedman saw the revised policy issued by the Pentagon after his last decision for what it was: a poorly disguised attempt to continue to violate the constitutional rights of The Times and its journalists.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell wrote on X<\/a> that the Department of Defense intends to appeal the court’s decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The Department has at all times complied with the Court’s Order \u2014 it reinstated the PFACs of every journalist identified in the Order and issued a materially revised policy that addressed every concern the Court identified in its March 20 Opinion,” he wrote. “The Department remains committed to press access at the Pentagon while fulfilling its statutory obligation to ensure the safe and secure operation of the Pentagon Reservation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Times and its reporter Julian E. Barnes sued the Pentagon in December over the policy, which it and scores of other media outlets rejected. Friedman\u2019s ruling last month applied solely to the Times, though other news outlets that gave up their credentials in opposition, such as Reuters and the Associated Press, sought reinstatement of their press badges following the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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