A federal judge has blocked the Department of Defense's policy on how journalists access the Pentagon, finding that it violates the First and Fifth Amendments of the US Constitution.
District Judge Paul L Friedman ruled in favour of The New York Times, which had sued the department after it enacted strict controls limiting information reporters can gather and publish from the Pentagon.
Many media outlets - including CBS News, ABC News, NBC News, CNN, Fox News and BBC News - chose not to sign the policy and had their access revoked.
The ruling halts parts of the policy, but kept some restrictions in place. The Pentagon said it disagree with the ruling and would pursue an appeal.
The policy, which was implemented in October, required Pentagon reporters to sign a document agreeing that any information gathered must be approved before it is released, even if it is unclassified.
