A federal judge Friday denied a request from the trio of ousted Stars and Stripes journalists to reverse the Pentagon's firing of them.U.S.District Judge Trevor McFadden denied a temporary restraining order filed by Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte, claiming they "ultimately fail to carry their significant burden to show that they are clearly entitled to a preliminary injunction."In a joint statement to Fox News Digital, the three journalists expressed their disappointment with McFadden's decision but insist it's not the "final judgment.""We are reviewing the decision with our attorneys and considering our next steps," Lederer, Slavin and Korte said.
"We continue to believe that the Pentagon should not be able to fire journalists for speaking out against censorship and defending the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes."FIRED STARS AND STRIPES SUE PENTAGON, ALLEGE RETALIATION AND FIRST AMENDMENT VIOLATIONA federal judge ruled in favor of the Pentagon in denying an effort to block the firing of three Stars and Stripes journalists.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.
via Getty Images)"This case is not primarily about the three of us.It is about whether the servicemembers who swear to defend the Constitution, and the military families who serve alongside them, can rely on a free and independent press.
It is also about whether the military and civilian journalists at Stars and Stripes can do their jobs without fear of retaliation," they added.Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell touted the legal win on social media."The court applied settled Supreme Court law: public employees do not receive First Amendment protection when they speak with the government’s voice," Parnell wrote on X."The record showed these interviews were arranged with supervisor involvement, conducted at Stripes workplaces, and presented the speakers in their official titles, discussing the paper they run.
That is government speech, no...