The former ombudsman for the Stars and Stripes military newspaper sued the Department of War on Thursday, alleging she was fired for criticizing Pentagon policies governing the publication.

She also said that her dismissal violated her First Amendment rights.

In a complaint filed in federal court in Washington, Jacqueline Smith alleged that she was fired 10 days after writing an April 8 editorial criticizing Pentagon policies governing the newspaper, including the cancellation of syndicated comics.

Her three-year term as ombudsman was not set to expire until December, the lawsuit stated.

Congress directed the Pentagon to create the ombudsman role after Pentagon officials in the 1980s sought to suppress unfavorable coverage of the Iran-Contra affair and other issues.

In President Donald Trump's second term, the Pentagon has sought to reshape the newspaper's editorial output.

A March 9 memo outlined changes such as requiring that content be "consistent with good order and discipline of the military" and prohibiting the newspaper from publishing cartoons or stories from other commercial news outlets, such as The Associated Press.

Smith wrote in her editorial that recent changes to the paper, such as cuts to republished AP stories, were happening "within the broader context of the Pentagon attempting to restrict the mainstream media."

She was referencing the Pentagon's restrictions on the outside press corps last year that led to an exodus of journalists from the building and a lawsuit by The New York Times.

Smith's attorney, John Bussian, told The Washington Post that the lawsuit is in response to "the government's retaliation against her over the exercise of clearly definable First Amendment rights."

Bussian said he is seeking an injunction to restore Smith to her position as ombudsman.

Earlier this month, two members of the Stars and Stripes advisory board filed a lawsuit challenging the policies outlined in the March 9 memo, claiming it unlawfully repeals long-standing regulations governing the newspaper and dismantles its editorial independence, attempting to censor "the soldiers' paper."