‘What’s going on?’: US judge calls aspects of new Pentagon press policy ‘weird’

Judge seems skeptical of Pentagon’s restrictive protocol but did not rule on forcing compliance with an earlier order Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Federal judge Paul Friedman seemed skeptical of the new press policy implemented by the Pentagon last week, calling aspects of it “weird” and Kafkaesque. Friedman struck down key aspects of the previously implemented Pentagon media policy on 20 March, but at the latest hearing on Monday stopped short of ruling on a motion filed by the New York Times to force compliance of his decision. Friedman was particularly skeptical about the ways in which press space was being provided to the seven New York Times reporters, whom he previously ruled should have their press access badges returned. The Times, along with dozens of other news organizations, chose not to sign the new restrictions implemented by the Pentagon last fall and returned their long-held passes. The Times sued the Trump administration over the policy. Julian Barnes, one of the Times reporters at issue, had attested that he was told that library space was available for the journalists to use while the Pentagon built out a new