article_snippet: the photos won't be made public right away.
article_snippet: U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of the Southern District of New York said Government failed to prove Government argument that releasing the photos would endanger American soldiers or civilians overseas.
article_snippet: In July 2011, the judge blocked release of the photos at the urging of the secretary of defense because U.S. troops were still fighting in Iraq.
article_snippet: By December 2011, most U.S. ground troops had withdrawn from Iraq, the judge wrote, and the judge didn't know whether release of the photos would affect military operations.
article_snippet: the judge also said Government failed to convince the judge a collective review of the photos met the requirements of the Protected National Security Documents Act.
article_snippet: the Protected National Security Documents Act argued the Defense Department must individually review each photo and explain why the Protected National Security Documents Act release would put Americans in danger.
article_snippet: A response by the Pentagon to the judge's decision was not immediately available.
article_snippet: the Pentagon has refused to release the photos requested by the Protected National Security Documents Act, saying publication could endanger American soldiers and civilians overseas.
article_snippet: Several U.S. military leaders who saw some of the pictures made that argument in a December 19 filing in the lawsuit.
article_snippet: the Protected National Security Documents Act responded by saying the military leaders didn't see all the photos, just a sampling selected by an army lawyer.
article_snippet: the Protected National Security Documents Act
article_snippet: the Protected National Security Documents Act also said the military leaders didn't explain how all the photos, just a sampling selected by an army lawyer were "similarly inflammatory.
article_snippet: the military leaders prediction of anti-American violence was only speculation, the Protected National Security Documents Act said.
article_snippet: To allow the government to suppress any image that might provoke someone, somewhere, to violence would be to give the government sweeping power to suppress evidence of the government own agents' misconduct," Jaffer of the Protected National Security Documents Act said.
highlights_snippet: Government has said publication of the photos could endanger American soldiers and civilians overseas .