Judge refuses to block Pentagon from firing Stars and Stripes staffers over CBS interview
- A federal judge ruled Friday that the Pentagon can proceed with firing three Stars and Stripes staff members who claimed they were illegally disciplined for speaking about editorial independence.
- Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin was dismissed for insubordination after giving a CBS News interview objecting to potential military censorship; reporter Lara Korte participated in the same interview.
- Judge Trevor McFadden concluded that the journalists gave interviews as part of their official duties as public employees rather than as private citizens, and therefore their terminations do not clearly violate First Amendment protections.
- Publisher Max Lederer was fired shortly after announcing his retirement, following the Pentagon's installation of a new active-duty deputy publisher at the newspaper without his knowledge.
- The plaintiffs' legal team stated they remain confident in ultimately prevailing once discovery proceeds and additional facts are revealed during litigation.
A federal judge on Friday declined to block the Pentagon from terminating three Stars and Stripes employees who challenged their firings as violations of free speech rights. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden ruled that the journalists are unlikely to prove First Amendment violations, stating that Stars and Stripes' editorial independence is not at stake in this case.
Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin was dismissed for insubordination following a CBS News interview in which he expressed concerns about potential military censorship. Reporter Lara Korte participated in the same interview. The lawsuit also named publisher Max Lederer, who was fired shortly after announcing his retirement. The Pentagon had installed a new active-duty deputy publisher at the newspaper without Lederer's knowledge.
Judge McFadden determined that because the journalists gave the interviews as part of their official duties as public employees—and the interviews were pre-approved and largely adhered to company positions—their terminations do not clearly violate First Amendment protections. The plaintiffs' legal representatives stated they remain confident in ultimately prevailing once the litigation proceeds to discovery and additional facts emerge.
法官拒绝阻止五角大楼解雇《星条旗报》员工因其接受CBS采访
联邦法官周五拒绝阻止五角大楼解雇三名《星条旗报》员工，这些员工曾对其解雇提出异议，声称违反了言论自由权。美国地区法官特雷弗·麦克法登裁定这些记者不太可能证明违反了第一修正案，并表示报纸的编辑独立性在本案中并未受到威胁。
主编埃里克·斯拉文因在CBS新闻采访中表达对潜在军事审查的担忧而被指控不服从命令被解雇。记者劳拉·科尔特参与了同一采访。诉讼还涉及出版商麦克斯·莱德勒，他在宣布即将退休后不久被解雇。五角大楼在未经莱德勒知情的情况下在报社安装了一名现役军人作为新的副出版商。
麦克法登法官认定，由于这些记者是以公职人员身份进行采访，采访经过事先批准且基本遵循公司立场，因此他们的解雇不明显违反第一修正案保护。原告的法律代表表示，他们对在诉讼进行证据开示并揭示更多事实后最终胜诉充满信心。