A federal judge declined to block the Pentagon from firing three Stars and Stripes staffers.
Why it matters: The ruling keeps alive a fight over whether the Defense Department can tighten control over a federally funded military newspaper. Press-freedom advocates say the case tests newsroom independence inside a government-run institution.
- U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden declined on Sept. 4, 2026, to block the Pentagon from proceeding with the firings.
- The plaintiffs are Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte.
- They sued in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 28, 2026, after being disciplined for speaking publicly about editorial independence.
- McFadden said the plaintiffs were unlikely to show a First Amendment violation and wrote that editorial independence 'is not at stake here,' according to AP.
The case centers on Stars and Stripes, the Defense Department-funded military newspaper that serves overseas service members. A federal regulation says the publication is authorized for that audience, but its contents are unofficial and not endorsed by the U.S. government. It also says the newsroom is authorized to gather and report news on the Defense Department and must be treated like commercial media in many respects. Read the regulation.
According to AP, McFadden declined to block the Pentagon from moving ahead, for now, with actions involving Lederer, Slavin and Korte. He said the plaintiffs were unlikely to show a First Amendment violation and wrote that Stars and Stripes’ editorial independence “is not at stake here.” AP's account of the ruling.
The Pentagon fired the three on Aug. 21, 2026, after public criticism of Defense Department interference, according to Stars and Stripes. The outlet reported the move followed Slavin and Korte’s CBS interview and came amid a broader Pentagon push to exert more control over the paper. Stars and Stripes' reporting.
That conflict followed a March 2026 Pentagon overhaul that said the paper’s content must be consistent with “good order and discipline” and barred some wire-service and syndicated content, according to Stars and Stripes. In June, Democracy Forward-backed plaintiffs filed a separate lawsuit alleging recent Pentagon actions eroded the outlet’s longstanding editorial independence and First Amendment protections. The earlier lawsuit.
Slavin said, “I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department’s own policies.” Korte said, “These firings are a shame for the institution and service members, who swore to defend the Constitution and deserve the right to a free and independent press.”
By the numbers
- 3 - Stars and Stripes staffers fired by the Pentagon: publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte.
- Sept. 4, 2026 - Date Judge Trevor McFadden declined to block the firings.
- Aug. 28, 2026 - Date the plaintiffs filed suit in Washington, D.C.
Yes, but: McFadden's ruling is preliminary, and the available sources do not include the full written order or the Pentagon's response.
What's next: The case will continue in U.S. federal court in Washington, D.C. The next legal step is not specified in the available sources.