Judge McFadden concluded that Slavin and Korte gave the interviews as part of their official duties as public employees, not as private citizens, and wrote that their termination 'does not clearly offend the First Amendment.' ^[1] U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden ruled on 2026-09-04 that three Stars and Stripes staffers are unlikely to prove that the Pentagon violated their First Amendment rights, refusing to block their firings. ^[2] The lawsuit claims the staffers were punished in retaliation for publishing a report on deteriorating conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. ^[3] The three staffers-publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte-filed a lawsuit on 2026-09-03 in Washington, D.C., challenging their firings by the Pentagon, which partially funds the news outlet. ^[4] Judge McFadden concluded that Slavin and Korte were legally dismissed for giving pre-approved interviews to CBS News as part of their official duties as public employees. ^[5] Judge Trevor McFadden stated that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that their termination would chill protected expression under the First Amendment. ^[6] The lawsuit alleges that Pentagon officials directed Lederer to fire Slavin and Korte after an article on August 11 detailed deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. ^[7]