{"id":220675,"date":"2026-01-16T11:03:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T16:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/?post_type=press_release&#038;p=220675"},"modified":"2026-01-16T11:29:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T16:29:47","slug":"aclu-to-federal-court-pentagon-press-policy-threatens-core-first-amendment-freedoms","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/aclu-to-federal-court-pentagon-press-policy-threatens-core-first-amendment-freedoms","title":{"rendered":"ACLU to Federal Court: Pentagon Press Policy Threatens Core First Amendment Freedoms"},"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-220675","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"subheading":"The New York Times sued in December over new rules that require journalists to report on only pre-approved information","date_and_time":"2026-01-16 00:00:00","featured_image":"","show_on_press_releases_landing_page":true,"components":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"WASHINGTON \u2014 The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of the District of Columbia filed a brief late last night in support of the New York Times in its lawsuit against the Department of Defense (DoD) over its new press policy, which the brief describes as asserting the power \u201cto banish journalists for disfavored coverage.\u201d The ACLU warns that this unconstitutional policy must be understood as \u201cpart of a broader assault on free expression\u201d that resembles authoritarian tactics seen in other countries that have experienced democratic backsliding.\r\n\r\n<i>The New York Times<\/i> was one of several major outlets to turn in their press access badges at the Pentagon in October in protest of the new rules from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The rules prohibit reporters from soliciting, receiving, or publishing information that is not authorized by DoD, even if the information is not classified. The <i>Times <\/i>filed suit several weeks later, alleging that the new policy violates the First and Fifth Amendments, as well as the Administrative Procedure Act.\r\n\r\n\u201cJournalists are not mouthpieces for government propaganda, but that\u2019s exactly what these new rules try to turn them into,\u201d said <b>Scott Michelman, legal director at the ACLU of D.C<\/b>. \u201cThe First Amendment protects our right to a free press precisely because it can hold the government accountable to the people. We have seen time and time again throughout our nation's history that muzzling the press can have dire consequences. This administration\u2019s relentless pursuit of ideological conformity through its repeated attacks on the press ignores the lessons of our history and the commands of our Constitution.\u201d\r\n\r\nEchoing arguments made in an amicus brief filed in support of an Associated Press lawsuit against the Trump administration in October 2025, the brief argues that unchecked incursions on press freedoms frequently lead to greater repression, as demonstrated by American history and the modern experience of other nations. The brief catalogues the Trump administration\u2019s alarming campaign of retaliation against dissenting voices, as well as its documented campaign against journalists.\r\n\r\n\u201cRestrictions on press freedom are the canary in the coal mine for democratic backsliding,\u201d said<b> Brian Hauss, deputy director of the ACLU\u2019s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project<\/b>. \u201cAs the White House thumbs its nose at the First Amendment, it\u2019s instructive to look to countries like Hungary and Russia, where the descent into autocracy began with crackdowns on journalists. We hope the court rebukes the Pentagon\u2019s effort to coerce reporters providing critical information to the American people.\u201d\r\n\r\n<i>The New York Times<\/i>\u2019 suit, <i>The New York Times Company v. Department of Defense<\/i>, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in December 2025. The ACLU and the ACLU of D.C. filed the amicus brief with the court in support of the<i> Times<\/i>\u2019 motion for summary judgment.\r\n\r\nThe amicus brief can be viewed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/cases\/the-new-york-times-co-v-department-of-defense?document=Brief-of-Amici-Curiae-ACLU-and-ACLU-of-DC-in-Support-of-Plaintiffs\">here<\/a>."}}],"drupal_node_id":"","email":"media@aclu.org","phone":"(212) 549-2666","address":{"address_1":"125 Broad Street","address_2":"18th Floor","city":"New York","state":"NY","zip_code":10004,"country":"United States"},"pgp_public_key":"","issues":[46479,46483],"press_releases_related_to_cases":[220680],"spokesperson":[1136],"related_affiliates":[371],"related_content_documents":"","related_content_publications":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>American Civil Liberties Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ACLU to Federal Court: Pentagon Press Policy Threatens Core First Amendment Freedoms | American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/aclu-to-federal-court-pentagon-press-policy-threatens-core-first-amendment-freedoms\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-16T16:29:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/aclu-to-federal-court-pentagon-press-policy-threatens-core-first-amendment-freedoms\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/aclu-to-federal-court-pentagon-press-policy-threatens-core-first-amendment-freedoms\",\"name\":\"ACLU to Federal Court: Pentagon Press Policy Threatens Core First Amendment Freedoms | American Civil Liberties Union\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-16T16:03:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-16T16:29:47+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/aclu-to-federal-court-pentagon-press-policy-threatens-core-first-amendment-freedoms\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Civil Liberties Union\",\"description\":\"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. 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