politics
Fired Stars and Stripes journalists sue Hegseth and Pentagon spokesperson
Updated on: August 27, 2026 / 5:29 PM EDT / CBS News
TL;DR
- Three Stars and Stripes journalists, including publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte, are suing top Pentagon officials.
- The lawsuit alleges the firings are an illegal attempt by the Trump administration to censor the military news outlet.
- The journalists claim they were fired for insubordination, which they link to their statements on press freedom and reporting on conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
- The lawsuit names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, and aide Andrew Brey as defendants.
- The plaintiffs assert their First Amendment and statutory rights are being violated, challenging what they call the DoD's "extraordinary censorship efforts."