Three Stars and Stripes journalists—editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer, and reporter Lara Korte—filed a lawsuit on August 27, 2026, against the US Department of Defense alleging violation of their First Amendment rights [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The suit seeks reinstatement and an injunction against further censorship or retaliation [1, 4].
The firings came after a contentious period following the publication on August 11 of an article detailing deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which was nearing the end of a nearly nine-month Middle East deployment with about 5,000 sailors onboard [1, 2, 6, 4, 5, 7]. Pentagon officials ordered the firing of Slavin and Korte on August 12 for "insubordination," citing statements they made weeks earlier in a July 5 CBS Sunday Morning interview defending the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes [1, 2, 6, 4, 5, 7]. Publisher Lederer initially refused to comply with the firing order but was terminated along with Slavin and Korte on August 21 [1, 2, 6, 4, 5, 7].
Stars and Stripes has a long tradition dating back to the American Civil War as an independent military news source. Although partially funded by the Pentagon, it is editorially autonomous, a principle the three journalists say they upheld [1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 5, 7]. The lawsuit accuses Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who assumed office in 2025 and has voiced criticism of the media, of orchestrating retaliation against the reporters [1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 5, 7]. Pentagon leadership had earlier expressed intent to steer Stars and Stripes coverage away from what it called "woke distractions" [1, 6, 4, 7].
Lara Korte said, "Everyone deserves the right to a free and independent press, especially our service members. This lawsuit is about safeguarding the mission of Stars and Stripes journalists so they can continue to do their jobs without fear or retaliation" [3]. The journalists emphasized that "Stars and Stripes has served them for generations, and that independence is essential to keeping military communities fully and accurately informed" [5]. A court filing stated, "This action seeks to prevent the blatant violation of the First Amendment rights of these journalists and challenges the US Department of Defense’s extraordinary censorship efforts" [1].
The timeline began with the July 5 CBS interview defending editorial independence, followed by the August 11 article on the USS Abraham Lincoln conditions, the August 12 Pentagon order to fire Slavin and Korte, the August 21 termination of all three journalists, and culminated with today’s lawsuit filing in the US District Court for Washington, D.C. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
