The New York Times has filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Defense, escalating a showdown over sweeping press-access restrictions imposed under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The lawsuit—naming the Pentagon, Hegseth, and chief spokesman Sean Parnell—asks a federal court in Washington, D.C., to strike down an October policy that prompted nearly all Pentagon beat reporters to surrender their press credentials rather than sign documents limiting their ability to gather news.

The Times is seeking a declaration that the rules are unconstitutional, along with an injunction preventing their enforcement. Other news organizations are expected to file supporting briefs.

Hegseth is likely to defend the policy on national-security grounds, the same rationale the Pentagon cited when t

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