US judge orders Pentagon to restore press access to credentialled reporters

A US judge in Washington ruled ⁠on Thursday that the Pentagon is ⁠hampering journalists in defiance of a court order that required it to restore access to credentialled reporters covering the seat of US military power.US District Judge Paul Friedman said the Defence Department must comply with his earlier order that sided with The New York Times newspaper and other news organisations ‌challenging restrictions imposed on them last year.“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 in his ruling. The judge called the Pentagon’s actions a “blatant attempt to circumvent a lawful order of the Court”.Representatives for The New York Times, Justice Department and White House did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the ruling.The Pentagon ⁠does not comment on pending litigation. Friedman at a March 30 hearing had expressed concerns that the Pentagon had issued revised ‌restrictions for journalists earlier in the month that went even further than those he previously blocked.The Pentagon under Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said in October that journalists could be deemed ‌security risks and have their press badges revoked if they solicited unauthorised military staff to disclose classified, ⁠and in some cases unclassified, ⁠information.