Three former Stars and Stripes employees, dismissed last week for alleged insubordination, have filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon. The legal action contends their terminations constitute "imminent retaliation and termination in violation of their First Amendment and statutory rights."
The lawsuit, submitted on Thursday, asserts that the defendants are attempting to fire the plaintiffs for "speaking up as private citizens in support of the press’s freedom to cover military operations, its need to reach all servicepersons, and in retaliation for their publication of a news report on deteriorating conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln during its extended tour of duty in the Mid-East." The filing explicitly states, "This action seeks to prevent the blatant violation of the First Amendment rights of these journalists and challenges the U.S. Department of Defense’s extraordinary censorship efforts in violation of both the First Amendment and DoD regulations and policies."
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., are former Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, longtime publisher Max Lederer, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte.
Events Leading to the Terminations
The dismissals reportedly stem from Slavin and Korte's participation without authorization in a television segment that aired last month, which examined the Pentagon's initiatives to restructure the newspaper. Additionally, Lederer's refusal to comply with Pentagon leadership's directive to fire them is cited as a contributing factor.
According to the lawsuit, the three individuals allege that Pentagon leadership initially "understood these interview statements expressed personal opinions, and therefore took no immediate action, despite their displeasure." However, the lawsuit claims the Pentagon's stance shifted significantly after Stars and Stripes published its investigative report detailing alleged difficulties aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.
The legal document further notes that Pentagon leadership demanded Lederer dismiss Slavin and Korte just one day after the report on the aircraft carrier was released.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are The Pentagon, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, and his principal deputy assistant Andrew Brey.
"This lawsuit is about safeguarding that mission and ensuring our civilian and military journalists can do their jobs without retaliation," the plaintiffs stated.
A Pentagon spokesman declined to offer comments regarding the ongoing legal proceedings.
Pentagon's Vision for the Newspaper
The Department of Defense commenced 2026 by publicly announcing its plans for a comprehensive overhaul of the long-standing military newspaper.
In January, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell shared on X, "The Department of War is returning Stars & Stripes to its original mission: reporting for our warfighters. We are bringing Stars & Stripes into the 21st century. We will modernize its operations, refocus its content away from woke distractions that syphon morale, and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members."
Parnell's statement continued, outlining the future direction: "Stars & Stripes will be custom tailored to our warfighters. It will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and ALL THINGS MILITARY. No more repurposed DC gossip columns; no more Associated Press reprints. Stars & Stripes has a proud legacy of reporting news that’s important to our service members. The Department of War is committed to ensuring the outlet continues to reflect that proud legacy."
Prior Personnel Action
This is not the first instance of significant personnel changes at the publication under Pentagon oversight. In April, the Stars and Stripes ombudsman was terminated after having openly criticized the previous administration's management of the newspaper.