Overview
- The Times filed the case in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., naming the Defense Department, Secretary Pete Hegseth and chief spokesman Sean Parnell, with reporter Julian E. Barnes as a co-plaintiff.
- The lawsuit alleges First and Fifth Amendment violations, including viewpoint discrimination and what it calls “standardless discretion” to punish reporters by pulling credentials.
- The policy, instituted in October, requires acknowledgment of restrictions and treats seeking or publishing unauthorized information as a security concern, even if unclassified or obtained off Pentagon grounds.
- At least 30 outlets surrendered their badges rather than sign, and the Pentagon has since seated a new press corps of pro-Trump outlets and influencers who attended an on-camera briefing Tuesday as legacy reporters were denied entry.
- Press-rights groups and the Pentagon Press Association support the lawsuit, while Pentagon officials defend the rules as protecting operational and national security and say they will argue their case in court.