Federal appeals court sides with Trump admin on press access restrictions

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday sided with President Donald Trump's administration in a legal dispute brought by The New York Times over the Pentagon's restrictions on press access.

Press freedom advocates have criticized the Trump administration's policy changes, arguing that limiting journalists' access to the Pentagon suppresses freedom of speech.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the Pentagon's policy requiring journalists to be escorted while inside the building may remain in effect. The decision overturned a lower court ruling that had blocked the requirement.

A spokesperson for The New York Times said the newspaper was disappointed with the interim ruling but welcomed the court's decision to expedite the appeal.

"While The Times is disappointed with this interim decision, we appreciate that the court has expedited the appeal and look forward to litigating it on the merits," the spokesperson said.

The U.S. Department of Justice welcomed the appeals court's decision.

In its ruling, the panel said the Pentagon was "likely to succeed" in arguing that the escort policy does not amount to a sufficiently adverse action to support a First Amendment retaliation claim.

Under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon announced in October that journalists could be considered security risks and have their press credentials revoked if they solicited unauthorized military personnel to disclose classified information or, in some cases, unclassified information.

Among the 56 news organizations represented by the Pentagon Press Association, only one agreed to sign an acknowledgment of the policy. Reporters who declined to sign surrendered their press credentials.

In April, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled that the Pentagon was obstructing journalists despite a court order requiring it to restore access for credentialed reporters covering the U.S. military headquarters.

During a March 30 hearing, Friedman expressed concern that the Pentagon had imposed revised restrictions that went beyond those he had previously blocked. In June, he temporarily halted enforcement of the escort requirement.

-Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Kate Mayberry/Reuters