Judge rules Pentagon violated court order on press access

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled on April 9, 2026 that the Pentagon's revised press policy — which closed the Correspondents Corridor and imposed mandatory escorts on all reporters — violated his March order requiring restored access for journalists. Friedman wrote that the Pentagon's approach "flouts the Court's explicit directives" and that suppression of political speech is "the mark of an autocracy, not a democracy." The Freedom of the Press Foundation urged Friedman to pursue contempt sanctions against Pentagon officials.