Stars and Stripes employees sue Pentagon over firings at military newspaper
The 45-page suit says the firings were retaliation for reporting on the USS Abraham Lincoln and seeks to block the terminations.
- On Thursday, three employees of the newspaper Stars and Stripes filed a lawsuit in Washington against the Defense Department and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging their firings were retaliation for unflattering Navy coverage.
- The Pentagon fired the three staff members last Friday, citing insubordination; according to the lawsuit, the move followed an article by Alison Bath about deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln deployed in the Middle East.
- Erik Slavin, Lara Korte, and Max Lederer were cited for insubordination, with Slavin and Korte specifically cited for comments made during a CBS News interview regarding First Amendment principles.
- Seeking to halt their terminations, the lawsuit claims the actions are unlawful; the employees stated their goal is to protect the rights of service members to a free and independent Stars and Stripes.
- Lederer, who spent 30 years with the paper, resigned after finding his philosophy differed in "fundamental ways" from the Defense Department's plans; the newspaper has operated as an independent organization since World War.
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11 Articles
Stars and Stripes employees sue Pentagon to block firings
Employees of the congressionally funded Stars and Stripes newspaper filed a lawsuit on Thursday to block the Pentagon from firing them after they were dismissed on charges of insubordination. Publisher Max Lederer, Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, arguing each of their terminations, which went into effect on Friday, violated the First Amendment. HEGSET…
Associated Press News
Stars and Stripes publisher, editor and reporter sue Pentagon to challenge their firings
Three staff members from the Stars and Stripes military news outlet are suing to challenge their recent firings by the Pentagon, accusing the Trump administration of violating their First Amendment free speech rights to speak out against government interference in their work.
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