Judge McFadden Clears Pentagon To Fire Three Stars And Stripes Journalists
Editor Erik Slavin, reporter Lara Korte and publisher Max Lederer were fired after speaking about editorial independence and the USS Abraham Lincoln.
- Slavin, Korte and Lederer filed suit August 27, docket 1:26-cv-03009.
- McFadden denied the injunction September 4: their speech was 'government speech,' not protected.
- Slavin and Korte's notices cite a July 5 CBS segment; Lederer's cites refusing to fire them.
Why it matters: A newspaper owned by the Pentagon has exactly as much independence as the Pentagon allows, no more.
D.D.C. docket, Slavin v. Parnell, No. 1:26-cv-03009 (Judge Trevor N. McFadden) ↗ · Sep 6, 20269/6/26