Judge Dismisses Sean Combs’s $100 Million Defamation Suit Against NBC

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/a...

Judge Rejects Hegseth’s Second Attempt to Restrict Reporters at Pentagon A federal judge gutted a set of rules that were adopted after the court declared an earlier press policy unconstitutional, in a case brought by The New York Times.

Breaking News: A federal judge rejected an attempt by the Pentagon to impose a new set of restrictions on journalists.

Federal judge finds Pentagon is violating court order to restore access to reporters A federal judge has ruled that the Defense Department is violating his earlier order to restore access to the Pentagon for reporters. U.S.

A federal judge on Thursday ruled that the Defense Department is violating an earlier order to restore access to the Pentagon for reporters.

US judge rules Pentagon has violated his order in press access case

Paul Friedman grants New York Times’s motion to force implementation of earlier ruling that gutted restrictive new policy

Pentagon violated court order to restore press access, judge rules Senior U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman also admonished the Trump administration, saying suppressing political speech is the “mark of an autocracy, not a democracy.”

STORY IN WAPO:

"Pentagon violated court order to restore press access, judge rules"

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

The Defense Department violated a federal court order in its press access case against the New York Times, a judge ruled, admonishing the Trump admin:

"Suppression of political speech is the mark of an autocracy, not a democracy—as the Framers recognized when they drafted the First Amendment."

Not since the historic Pentagon Papers case has there been such a crucial freedom of the press case involving the NYT, the Pentagon and war. Ted Boutrous, the lawyer behind key recent victories for the NYT, NPR & PBS talks about why he was forced to file a motion to compel against the Pentagon.

Trump Threatens Jail if Journalists Protect Certain Iran Sources

“During times of armed conflict in a democracy, it is essential that the press be able to gather and report information in the public interest and thus provide an independent check on the official government narrative,” @rcfp.org's Gabe Rottman told @nytimes.com.

Just shipped a special Saturday edition of Reliable Sources full of 💯 weekend reads:

cnn.it/4sZCYL8

Now Reliable is on spring break; back in your inboxes and feeds on April 13.

Meet the Pennsylvania lawyer empowering local newsrooms’ ‘dogged bravery’ How attorney Paula Knudsen Burke and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Local Legal Initiative defend the First Amendment.

@lenfestinstitute.org takes an inside look at how @rcfp.org's Local Legal Initiative — through the tireless work of attorney Paula Knudsen Burke — defends the First Amendment across Pennsylvania.

Trump’s Media-Bashing Is Coming Back to Bite Him in Court

"Trump’s Media-Bashing Is Coming Back to Bite Him in Court"

Been meaning to write a story about this, and NYT's Erik Wemple beat me to it:

"Judges have cited attacks on the press by the president and his appointees when ruling against the government in at least three court cases."

Hearing Dispatch: A Catch-22 for the Pentagon Press Corps Judge Paul Friedman hears a motion to compel compliance with his order to restore press access to the Pentagon.

Yesterday morning, Judge Paul Friedman held a hearing on the New York Times’s motion to compel the government to comply with his order to restore press access to the Pentagon. @mollyroberts.bsky.social reports from the courtroom:

Trump’s Media-Bashing Is Coming Back to Bite Him in Court

Trump’s Media-Bashing Is Coming Back to Bite Him in Court www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/b...

Judge rules Trump order eliminating NPR, PBS funding is unconstitutional A federal judge struck down part of Trump’s order cutting NPR and PBS funding, calling it viewpoint discrimination and a First Amendment violation.

Judge rules Trump order eliminating NPR, PBS funding unconstitutional
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Breaking: Judge Randolph Moss struck down a portion of Trump's executive order on NPR and PBS, saying that cutting off funding based on coverage is unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and retaliation, violating their First Amendment rights.

Federal judge strikes down Trump order eliminating NPR and PBS funds

Judge blocks Trump’s executive order that ended federal funding for NPR and PBS Judge Randolph Moss ruled that the president’s move to cease all federal funding for the news outlets amounted to “viewpoint discrimination and retaliation.”

BREAKING: A federal judge has blocked Trump's executive order that ended federal funding for NPR and PBS, calling the move "unlawful and unenforceable"

Trump’s Executive Order on NPR and PBS Is Unconstitutional, Judge Rules

New: federal Judge hands NPR and PBS a victory over President Trump:

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/b...

Judge blocks Trump order to end funding for National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service A federal judge has agreed to permanently block the Trump administration from implementing a presidential directive to end federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.U.S.

BREAKING: A judge blocks a Trump administration order to end federal funding for NPR and PBS.

Federal judge finds Trump violated free speech by ordering NPR defunded A U.S. District Court judge found that President Trump's executive ordering the defunding of NPR and PBS violated the First Amendment.

A U.S. District Court judge found that President Trump's executive ordering the defunding of NPR and PBS violated the First Amendment. n.pr/3PUBm6t

Pentagon faces another legal challenge over new media rules The Pentagon issued a revised policy for credentialing media after a judge struck down the Defense Department’s previous rules that determined access to its headquarters. But a spokesperson for The Ne...

The Pentagon issued a revised policy for credentialing media after a judge struck down the Defense Department’s previous rules that determined access to its headquarters. https://to.pbs.org/4c4Mx5e

New York Times Says Pentagon Is "Defying" Court Order The Times asked a judge to compel Pete Hegseth's team to remove press access restrictions.

deadline.com/2026/03/new-...

The 2026 Lawdragon 100 Leading AI & Legal Tech Advisors | Lawdragon Jessica Lee of Loeb & Loeb, Jay Edelson of Edelson PC, and Ted Boutrous of Gibson Dunn are among this year's honorees.

www.lawdragon.com/guides/2026-...

Hegseth’s Press Defeat A federal judge struck down the Pentagon’s attempt to gatekeep press access, delivering a major legal blow to Pete Hegseth’s efforts to create a safe space.

A federal judge delivered a stinging rebuke of Pete Hegseth’s attempt to silence the press, replacing journalists with MAGA sycophants. It’s the latest example of the admin’s war on journalists collapsing under legal scrutiny.

My latest for @status.news www.status.news/p/pete-hegse...

Hegseth’s Press Defeat A federal judge struck down the Pentagon’s attempt to gatekeep press access, delivering a major legal blow to the Pete Hegseth’s efforts to create a safe space.

"The ruling is the latest loss for the Trump administration’s war on the press. Again and again, when the administration’s most aggressive attempts to sideline the press are put to the test in court, they collapse under legal scrutiny," @passantino.bsky.social writes. www.status.news/p/pete-hegse...

BREAKING: Judge voids Pentagon's new press policy that led most outlets to surrender their credentials. In suit brought by NYT, Judge Paul Friedman (Clinton/DC) says policy violates 1st Amendment because it's designed to "weed out disfavored journalists." ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...

“The district court’s decision is a powerful rejection of the Pentagon’s effort to impede freedom of the press and the reporting of vital information to the American people during a time of war. As the court recognized, those provisions violate not only the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause, but also the founding principle that the nation’s security depends upon a free press. The district court’s opinion is not just a win for The Times, Mr. Barnes, and other journalists, but most importantly, for the American people who benefit from their coverage of the Pentagon.”

Statement from Ted Boutrous, Gibson Dunn lawyer for the NYT: “The district court’s decision is a powerful rejection of the Pentagon’s effort to impede freedom of the press and the reporting of vital information to the American people during a time of war."

Striking Down Pentagon Press Limits, Judge Vindicates Independent Journalism

Striking Down Pentagon Press Limits, Judge Vindicates Independent Journalism

The ruling cut deeper than left-versus-right politics, declaring that the policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is unconstitutional.

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/u...

The New York Times v. Department of Defense

Pentagon policy limiting independent press access is unlawful, judge rules | CNN Politics A federal judge on Friday voided various parts of a restrictive press policy rolled out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year, ruling that they trampled on the constitutional rights of reporters...

www.cnn.com/2026/03/20/p...