Stars and Stripes Journalists Sue Pentagon Over Alleged Retaliatory Firings

Three senior Stars and Stripes staff members have sued the Pentagon, alleging that efforts to fire them were unlawful retaliation that violated their First Amendment free-speech rights.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington on behalf of publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte.

Lawsuit Seeks to Block the Firings

The complaint asks the court to issue an emergency temporary restraining order preventing the Defense Department from completing the terminations.

Slavin and Korte were accused of insubordination after publicly defending Stars and Stripes’ editorial independence during an appearance on CBS Sunday Morning.

Lederer was accused of insubordination after expressing concerns about the publication’s direction and refusing to dismiss Slavin and Korte, according to the lawsuit.

First Amendment Violations Alleged

The journalists argue that the Pentagon’s actions violate the First Amendment and the Defense Department’s own personnel regulations.

The lawsuit also alleges that the termination process began one day after Stars and Stripes published a report about difficult conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Democracy Defenders Fund, Lawyers for Good Government, the Government Accountability Project and Yale Law School’s Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic filed the case on the journalists’ behalf.