Big win for American journalists: Judge criticizes Pentagon’s ‘unlawful policy’, asks to restore press access

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled Thursday that the Pentagon was in violation of his earlier order to restore press access for journalists.Reuters reports him as saying that the new restrictions were imposed by the Defense Department because its prior rules were deemed unconstitutional.In his ruling, Friedman said the Pentagon “cannot reinstate an unlawful policy under the guise of taking ‘new’ actions and expect a court to look the other way.”As part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by The New York Times, the court ruled in March that changes made by the Pentagon last year to press access, including stripping the credentials of several major outlets, violate the First Amendment as reported by the AP.However, the Pentagon responded to the March decision with even tougher sanctions.“The very next business day, the department announced it was immediately closing the ‘Correspondents’ Corridor,’ the area of ​​the Pentagon from which journalists had worked for years,” Friedman said.The Pentagon completely banned journalists from entering military headquarters without official escort, instead providing a new workspace “in an annex facility”.

‘An attempt to deny the order of the transparent court’

For decades, verified journalists from major outlets have been given badges, allowing them to roam freely around parts of the Pentagon to engage with officials and public affairs staff. The Defense Department has cited security risks for the tighter restrictions.Friedman wrote that the stringent sanctions “are not safeguards or attempts to fulfill prior commitments, but rather transparent attempts to negate the effect of this Court order.”He ordered the Defense Department to allow Times journalists and “all regulated parties” access to the Pentagon.

Pentagon disagrees, plans to appeal

Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell said on social media that the department disagrees with the decision and intends to appeal.“The Department has complied with the court’s order at all times – it has reinstated the PFAC of each journalist identified in the order and has issued a significantly revised policy that has addressed every concern identified by the court in its March 20 opinion.”He added: “The Department is committed to press access to the Pentagon while meeting its statutory obligation to ensure the secure operation of the Pentagon Reservation.”

Times lawyer: Verdict ‘affirms First Amendment’

Times lawyer Theodore Boutrous said Thursday’s decision “powerfully vindicates both the court’s authority and the First Amendment’s protection of independent journalism.” AP report.The lead plaintiff in the suit, The New York Times, had told Friedman that the Pentagon had not complied with his order, but instead issued a new “interim” policy in defiance of the court’s decision.

Widespread tension between the press and the Trump administration

Pentagon press access has become a point of broader tension between the media and the Trump administration, with officials often attacking coverage it deems distasteful.Among other measures, the Defense Department last year forced eight major outlets to vacate their verticals to make room for new, mostly conservative outlets.AFP, along with the Times, Fox News, the AP and others, have refused to sign on to the new policy, resulting in their Pentagon credentials being stripped. The current Pentagon press corps consists mostly of conservative outlets that agree with the policy.

‘Viewpoint discrimination, full stop’

Friedman, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Bill Clinton, said recent U.S. military operations in Venezuela and Iran underscore the need for public access to information about government activities.“The drafters of the First Amendment believed that the security of the country required a free press and an informed people and that such security was endangered by government suppression of political speech. That principle has protected the country’s security for nearly 250 years. It should not be abandoned now,” the judge wrote last month.Friedman said the challenge policy was apparently designed to weed out “disgraced journalists” and replace them with people who are “involved and willing to serve” the administration.“That,” he wrote, “attitude is discrimination, full stop.”

For decades, the United States has been the cultural and economic center of the global village. However, that influence is currently being used to propagate growing anti-India sentiment. From online posts to religious clergy, everyone in the country has joined the anti-India and anti-Hindu gang for their influence, creating fear among the public towards the community and religion. The latest flashpoint involves pastor Joel Webb and provocateur Alex Stein, whose recent collaboration on the ‘After Hours with Alex Stein’ podcast has been widely condemned as a masterclass in religious intolerance.Webb and Stein, both known for their controversial comments on Indians and Hindus, were discussing the change in demographics in Texas where Indians have reportedly taken over the state’s jobs, housing and communities. In the clip going viral on Twitter, Stein claimed that Hindus “love to worship cows, they drink cow pee, they eat cow poop,” while asking Webb to comment on how this religion is demonic and on the level of “insanity” among religions. “Is Hinduism Even Crazier Than Scientology?”. he asked. “Hinduism is completely demonic,” Webb replied, arguing that the religion is not monotheistic and has “millions of gods”. The controversial pastor stuck to his rhetoric and also alleged that the video showed Hindus pouring “blood-like fluid” on themselves, sacrificing animals and drinking their blood. He claimed that this religion sends a person to hell, saying, “It is very pagan, very demonic, polytheistic and very satanic.” Stein escalated the criticism by saying that Hinduism is incompatible with Western cultural values ​​and that Indians are committing H-1B fraud to turn North Texas into “mini Mumbai, India”.Far-right conservatives have faced heavy criticism online for criticizing Hinduism and labeling it “demonic”.Zoho Corporation founder Sridhar Vembu condemned the comments in an Did not invade nations and enslave people in the name of bringing “civilization” and “God” from the “pagans”.““It’s strange that among the religions he mentioned, Hinduism is the only religion that never said ‘Follow this religion or you will rot in hell.’ An “It’s business for them. If they don’t call Hinduism pagan or demonic, there can’t be conversions, and the church won’t make money. They have always been deliberately short-sighted and narrow-minded as far as Hinduism is concerned,” said another. Self-proclaimed Christian nationalist and controversial podcaster Joel Webb was recently trolled for claiming that women need to “shut up.” In a podcast episode with co-host Wesley Todd, she said women should be silent in the public square, civic positions of government, church, and at home. In November 2025, he posted simple Diwali wishes on social media asking FBI Director Kash Patel to go back to India and worship ‘demons’. Alex Stein, a YouTuber, recently went viral for his satirical speech at the Plano City Council meeting, where he mocked Hindu religious beliefs and practices while wearing a yellow kurta, black shorts, slippers and a red tilak on his forehead. As the number of Indians coming to the US has declined following the increase in H-1B visa fees, influential people and far-right commentators have launched attacks targeting Indians and Hindus inside the country, especially in states like Texas where they are in the majority. In 2022, research by Network Contagion Research Institute This pattern was documented at Rutgers University where social media was systematically weaponized to target Hindu communities, often by bots and geopolitical players. It also warned Hindu communities to remain vigilant as online hatred often seeps into the physical world.