WASHINGTON, D.C.: A federal judge on March 20 agreed with The New York Times that the Trump administration's move to limit access of news reporters to the Pentagon was unlawful.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman in Washington, D.C., ruled that the Pentagon policy illegally restricts the press credentials of reporters who walked out of the building rather than agree to the new rules.

The Times sued the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in December. It said the new rules for press access break journalists' rights to free speech and fair treatment under the Constitution.

Most reporters currently allowed at the Pentagon work for conservative outlets that accepted these rules. Some reporters who refused have continued covering the military anyway.

The Defense Department has recently allowed some traditional media reporters who didn't accept the rules to return for briefings about Iran. However, Hegseth rarely lets them ask questions, though he recently took questions from journalists such as Eric Schmitt and Luis Martinez.

Judge Friedman, whom Bill Clinton appointed, said the policy does not clearly explain what normal reporting actions could result in the loss of press access. He ruled that it violates the First and Fifth Amendment rights to free speech and due process.

The judge wrote that the people who drafted the First Amendment believed that a free press is essential to national security and that government limits on political speech can harm the country. He said this principle has protected the nation for nearly 250 years and should not be abandoned.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on X that they disagree with the ruling and will appeal it immediately.

A spokesperson for the Times, Charlie Stadtlander, said the decision supports the rights of a free press. He added that Americans deserve to know how their government and military operate, and the ruling confirms that journalists can continue asking questions for the public.

The Times lawyer, Theodore Boutrous, said the decision strongly rejects the Pentagon's attempt to limit press freedom, especially during wartime.

The judge ordered the Pentagon to give press access back to seven journalists from The New York Times and said his decision applies to everyone affected by the policy.

The Pentagon Press Association, of which the Associated Press is a part, called for all its members to have their credentials restored. It said this is an important win for press freedom and a lesson for Pentagon leaders, who had taken extreme steps to restrict access to information during a war.

The Defense Department argued that the policy is based on "common sense" and is intended to protect sensitive national security information from exposure.