A federal judge ruled Friday that the Pentagon's restrictive press access policy violates the First Amendment, delivering a victory for news organizations that challenged the Defense Department's controls on journalist reporting.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman issued a 40-page ruling siding with The New York Times and other news outlets that contested the policy. The restrictions had prompted many news organizations to leave the Pentagon due to the stringent controls on how journalists with building access were allowed to report.

In his decision, Judge Friedman acknowledged the government's legitimate security concerns while finding the policy went too far. "The Court recognizes that national security must be protected, the security of our troops must be protected, and war plans must be protected," Friedman wrote in his ruling.

The Pentagon policy had imposed strict limitations on journalists with Pentagon access, governing what they could report and how they could conduct their coverage. News outlets argued these restrictions constituted an unconstitutional prior restraint on press freedom.

The ruling represents a significant development in the ongoing tension between national security considerations and press freedom. The decision effectively ends a policy that had created friction between the Defense Department and the news media covering military affairs.