Judge says Pentagon must restore press access

Politics Judge says Pentagon must restore press access By Jacob Rosen Jacob Rosen Justice Department Reporter Jake Rosen is a reporter covering the Department of Justice. He was previously a campaign digital reporter covering President Trump's 2024 campaign and also served as an associate producer for "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." Read Full Bio Jacob Rosen Updated on: April 9, 2026 / 6:36 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google A federal judge ruled the Defense Department violated a court order requiring it to ease stringent restrictions imposed on reporters who cover the Pentagon and blocked a new press policy issued by the department last month.U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman again sided with the New York Times and its reporter Julian Barnes, who filed a lawsuit last year that argued the new Pentagon policy violated the First Amendment, Fifth Amendment and due process provision of the Constitution. Last month, Friedman struck down some of the Pentagon's strict controls on how journalists with Pentagon press passes are allowed to report — ending a policy that has caused many news outlets, including CBS News, to leave the Pentagon.Friedman ruled that the Pentagon failed to comply with his March order and said a revised press policy, which the Pentagon instituted after his order, was also unlawful. The new Pentagon rules expelled all reporters from the building unless they were accompanied by government escorts and removed media outlets' office spaces from the building."The Department cannot simply reinstate an unlawful policy under the guise of taking 'new' action and expect the Court to look the other way," Friedman wrote. "Nor can the Department take steps to circumvent the Court's injunction and expect the Court to turn a blind eye."Friedman's March ruling halted some of the most onerous restrictions imposed on news outlets, including one provision that said reporters who "solicit" classified or sensitive information from milita...