Another setback for Trump: Justice suspended a restriction that had been imposed on journalists

District Judge in Washington, Paul L. Friedman, stated that that policy violated the First Amendment and issued a preliminary ruling Tuesday prohibiting the requirement, while The New York Times continues its legal battle against the department’s restrictions.

The order does not specify whether journalists from other organizations would also be exempt from that policy.

The newspaper sued the Defense Department in May for the second time in five months. The lawsuits have fueled a growing tension between the US media and the Republican governmentboth in the public sphere and in the courts.

“Today’s well-reasoned decision reaffirms the First Amendment rights of the press to cover the Pentagon without restrictions designed to prevent the public from knowing what the military does“said spokesman Charlie Stadtlander. “The court recognized that the new Pentagon policy, implemented hastily, It was a clear violation of the Constitution”.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted on X late Tuesday that department “strongly disagrees” with Friedman’s decision. “This failure eliminates reasonable security measures and will make it easier for sensitive and classified information to reach our adversaries.”

The Times filed its first lawsuit in December over rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that sought to limit media access.

The escort policy was implemented in March following a ruling by Friedman that had lifted previous restrictions. The judge held that these violated the rights of Times reporter Julian E. Barnes and the newspaper.

The following month, the judge ruled that the interim policy violated his March order. But the escort policy remained in place when an appeals court stayed part of Friedman’s ruling while the government appealed. The appeal process continues.

The Times and other media outlets left the Pentagon in October rather than accept Hegseth’s restrictions. They continue to cover the US military from outside the building. A new department-approved press corps currently occupies Pentagon space.