New York Times Accuses Pentagon of Defying Court Order

Key Points:

• The New York Times accused the Defense Department of defying a federal court ruling that declared major parts of the Pentagon’s press rules unconstitutional, calling the department’s revised media policy an attempt to circumvent the court's decision.
• The Times filed a legal complaint stating the revised rules aim to prevent journalists and news organizations with certain editorial viewpoints from independent news gathering at the Pentagon.
• The dispute began in October when the Pentagon introduced new rules for military journalists, prompting a walkout and a lawsuit from The Times claiming violations of the First and Fifth Amendments.
• Judge Paul Friedman ruled in favor of The Times, ordering the Pentagon to reinstate the newspaper’s press passes, but the Pentagon responded by issuing revised restrictions, closing the long-used “correspondents’ corridor,” and relocating journalists to an annex requiring official escorts.
• The Pentagon has not commented publicly and plans to appeal Judge Friedman’s ruling, while The Times reports its journalists have regained their press passes as ordered.