Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Date Filed: Sept. 3, 2026

Background: In August 2026, the Department of Defense sought to fire three Stars and Stripes employees — its publisher, Max Lederer; its editor-in-chief, Erik Slavin; and one of its reporters, Lara Korte — citing their public statements against planned changes to Stripes’ operations, including threats to its editorial independence.

The proposed terminations came shortly after Stripes published a report about deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Lederer, Slavin, and Korte sued and asked a court for an emergency order blocking the government from proceeding with the terminations, arguing the government is retaliating against the employees for their protected speech.   

Our Position: In a friend-of-the-court brief, Reporters Committee is urging the court to grant the employees’ request for a preliminary injunction.

• The government’s actions in this case pose a threat to the historical independence of a news outlet that publishes stories of interest to the U.S. military community.

From the Brief: “The Department [of Defense] has impermissibly attempted to interfere with Stripes’ editorial judgment by threatening terminations of its employees based on their speech, and after Stripes published an important story about the conditions on the U.S.S. Lincoln. Such interference by the Department — especially given Stripes’ journalism on matters of great concern to the public and U.S. servicemembers — is not in keeping with First Amendment values.”

Update: On Sept. 4, 2026, U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden denied the employees’ request for a preliminary injunction.