Judge Rejects Hegseth’s Second Attempt to Restrict Reporters at Pentagon

A federal judge gutted a set of rules that were adopted after the court declared an earlier press policy unconstitutional, in a case brought by The New York Times.

A federal judge on Thursday rejected an attempt by the Pentagon to impose a new set of restrictions on journalists who hold credentials to cover the military complex, in another blow to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s attempts to control the media.

The order, from Judge Paul Friedman of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, declared that the new policy was essentially unconstitutional. With its new rules, the Pentagon changed the wording of a provision barring journalists from seeking confidential information from government sources.

Judge Friedman added that the Pentagon had “failed” to reinstate the press passes of several New York Times reporters.