A federal judge on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Pentagon’s policy requiring escorts for reporters.

US District Judge Paul Friedman, a Clinton appointee, sided with the New York Times and blocked the Pentagon from enforcing its policy requiring the reporters to be accompanied by an official escort.

The judge’s injunction only applies to reporters with the New York Times.

Politico reported:

A federal district court judge on Tuesday blocked the Defense Department from requiring journalists to be accompanied by an official escort in the Pentagon, siding with The New York Times in its latest legal fight with the administration over press access.

The Times sued the Pentagon to halt its escort mandate in May, arguing that the policy contravened “reporters’ ability to report on the Department and the U.S. military quickly, accurately, and comprehensively.”

Judge Paul Friedman, a Clinton appointee, issued a preliminary injunction against the policy on Tuesday, writing that by “singling out journalists, the escort policy ‘undercut[s] the basic assumption of our political system that the press will often serve as an important restraint on government.’” Friedman’s order applies to those affiliated with The Times and not the broader Pentagon press corps.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ruling marks the latest legal setback in the Defense Department’s yearlong effort to crack down on press freedom on the Pentagon’s campus.

Last year, Pentagon reporters turned in their badges after they refused to sign Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s new security rule.

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanded that reporters agree by 5 p.m. Tuesday to a new policy, under which they would need to pledge to not obtain or use any unauthorized material, even if the information is unclassified — or hand over their press badges in the next 24 hours,” The Hill previously reported.

Later that day, Pentagon reporters turned in their badges.

The reporters turned in their badges and left the building.

The New York Times sued the Pentagon and successfully pushed back on Hegseth’s new policies with the help of far-left judges.

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