Fired Stars and Stripes ombudsman sues the Pentagon; The Washington Post, June 25, 2026

Liam Scott

 and 

Scott Nover

, The Washington Post ; Fired Stars and Stripes ombudsman sues the Pentagon

Jacqueline Smith alleges the government violated her First Amendment rights when she was dismissed in April.

"Jacqueline Smith, the ombudsman for military newspaper Stars and Stripes who was fired in April by the Pentagon, sued the agency on Thursday, alleging that her dismissal was retaliatory and violated her First Amendment rights.

In a complaint filed Thursday in federal court in Washington, Smith said that she was fired 10 days after writing an April 8 opinion column criticizing Pentagon officials for canceling syndicated comics in the paper. Her three-year term as ombudsman — a congressionally mandated role — was not set to expire until December 2026, the lawsuit said."