A U.S. district judge has rejected a request to halt the Pentagon’s termination of three journalists at Stars and Stripes, the military’s news outlet. The decision clears the way for the Defense Department to proceed with increased editorial oversight of the historically independent publication.
Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte filed suit last Thursday in Washington, D.C., seeking reinstatement and challenging their dismissals. The lawsuit contends that Pentagon officials ordered Lederer to fire Slavin and Korte following publication of an article on August 11 detailing conditions and mental health concerns aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. When Lederer refused to comply, he subsequently announced his retirement after the Pentagon installed a new deputy publisher without his approval.
Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, ruled that the journalists failed to demonstrate a constitutional violation. The judge concluded that Slavin and Korte were lawfully terminated for providing pre-approved interviews as part of their official responsibilities as public employees rather than private citizens. McFadden wrote that while the arrangement may raise other concerns, it does not clearly violate First Amendment protections.
The ruling represents a setback for the journalists, whose legal representatives characterized the decision as disappointing. The case names the Defense Department and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth among the defendants.
The Stars and Stripes situation has prompted additional litigation. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters Susan Dardarian and William Church, serving as advisory board members, filed suit in June alleging illegal military censorship. Similarly, the publication’s former ombudsman Jacqueline Smith sued the Pentagon the same month, claiming retaliation over an opinion column in violation of her First Amendment rights.
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