New York Times Sues Pentagon Over First Amendment Rights [View all]
Source: New York Times
Dec. 4, 2025 Updated 5:17 a.m. ET
The New York Times sued the Pentagon on Thursday, arguing that the Defense Department infringed on the constitutional rights of its journalists by imposing a set of new restrictions on reporting about the military. The Pentagon policy “is exactly the type of speech- and press-restrictive scheme that the Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit have recognized violates the First Amendment,” the company said in a summary of the filing. The lawsuit was filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington.
The Pentagon rules, which went into effect in October, require reporters to sign a 21-page form that sets limits on journalistic activities, including requests for story tips and inquiries to sources. The new guidelines are a stark departure from the previous ones, in both length and scope.
According to the lawsuit summary, the purpose of the Pentagon policy is “to close the doors of the Pentagon — those areas that have historically been open to the press — to news organizations, like plaintiffs, that investigate and report without fear or favor about the actions of the department and its leadership.”
The Times is asking the court to issue an order stopping the Pentagon from enforcing the press policy, along with a declaration that the provisions relating to the exercise of First Amendment rights are unlawful.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/business/media/new-york-times-pentagon-lawsuit.html
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