Judge refuses to block Pentagon from firing Stars and Stripes journalists
Ruling allows defense department to proceed for now in exerting greater editorial control over military news outlet A federal judge has declined to stop the Pentagon from firing journalists who say they were illegally punished for speaking out about the need for the Stars and Stripes publication to maintain its editorial independence. The ruling by US district judge Trevor McFadden allows the…
A US district judge has ruled that the Pentagon can continue with its plan to fire journalists from the Stars and Stripes publication, despite claims that their terminations were a violation of their First Amendment rights. US District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Donald Trump appointee, decided that the newspaper's editorial independence "is not at stake here."
The journalists, Max Lederer, Erik Slavin, and Lara Korte, argued that their firings would chill their and others' protected speech, but the judge found that they were legally dismissed for giving pre-approved interviews as part of their official duties. The defense department and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are among the defendants named in the lawsuit.
Despite the ruling, two other lawsuits have been filed accusing the Pentagon of interfering with the Stars and Stripes' editorial integrity and independence.
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