Case: Dardarian v. Department of Defense
1:26-cv-01965 | U.S. District Court for the District of District of Columbia
Filed Date: June 3, 2026
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
Case Summary
This case challenged the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) efforts to exert control over Stars and Stripes, the military’s independent news source which has had editorial independence dating back to the Civil War. On June 3, 2026, two subscribers of Stars and Stripes filed this complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against DoD, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Represented by the Democracy Forward Foundation, the plaintiffs alleged that in January 2026, DoD and its officials took a series of actions to seize unprecedented editorial control over Stars and Stripes, including the rescission of a decades-old regulation that protected Stars and Stripes’ editorial independence (“repeal rule”) and a memorandum that detailed the increased level of control that DoD would have over the newspaper. The plaintiffs asserted five counts under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and the First Amendment. The plaintiffs sought declaratory relief that the repeal rule is unlawful, vacatur of the repeal rule, permanent injunctions against both the repeal rule and the DoD memorandum, and attorney’s fees. The case was assigned to District Judge Christopher Cooper.
This case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
(6/14/2026)
Ian Gibson (7/14/2026)
People
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73435016/parties/dardarian-v-department-of-defense/
Cooper, Christopher Reid (District of Columbia)
Goldstein, Elena (District of Columbia)
Scher, Allyson R. (District of Columbia)
Wolfson, Paul R.Q. (District of Columbia)
Documents in the Clearinghouse
Docket
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73435016/dardarian-v-department-of-defense/
Last updated Aug. 27, 2026, 3:15 a.m.
Docket for: DARDARIAN v. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Case Details
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: June 3, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Two journalists who are longtime subscribers of Stars and Stripes news.
Attorney Organizations:
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Federal
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
U.S. Department of Defense
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 551 et seq.
Constitutional Clause(s):
Other Dockets:
District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-01965
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Relief Sought:
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Issues
Discrimination Area:
Content/viewpoint discrimination
Case Summary of Dardarian v. Department of Defense, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/48211/ (last updated 7/14/2026).