Judge Denies 3 Stars and Stripes Journalists' Bid to Reverse Pentagon Firings
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 7
Judge Denies 3 Stars and Stripes Journalists' Bid to Reverse Pentagon Firings
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 7
Summary
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden rejected a temporary restraining order sought by publisher Max Lederer, editor Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte, leaving their Pentagon firings in place.
McFadden said the three failed to meet the high bar for emergency relief in their First Amendment lawsuit, which argues they were fired in retaliation for defending the paper's editorial independence.
The Pentagon cast the ruling as a legal win, saying the journalists spoke with the government's voice because the interviews were arranged with supervisor involvement, at Stripes workplaces and under official titles.
The firings followed Slavin and Korte's July appearance on CBS Sunday Morning and Lederer's refusal to dismiss them; the lawsuit also says Pentagon pressure escalated after Stars and Stripes published a report on strife aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The journalists said they are reviewing next steps and argued the case reaches beyond three jobs to whether service members and military families can rely on an independent press.