Pentagon Appeals Court Decisions Gutting Its Press Restrictions

The Defense Department filed a formal notice that it intended to fight a federal judge’s recent rulings that its press restrictions were unconstitutional.

The Defense Department issued a formal notification on Friday that it was appealing two adverse rulings from a federal judge who found that major parts of its restrictions on reporters were unconstitutional.

In October, the Pentagon issued a new set of media rules that allowed the department to declare journalists “security risks” and revoke their press passes. Journalists at many traditional media outlets surrendered their credentials instead of signing the policy. In December, The New York Times sued, arguing that the rules violated the First and Fifth Amendments.