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A federal judge ordered Trump to restore media access at the White House. The ruling temporarily blocks his ban.
A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to restore White House press access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, temporarily blocking President Donald Trump’s ban on the three news organizations while their legal challenge proceeds. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day restraining order requiring the administration to reinstate the outlets’ hard-pass credentials.
The three organizations sued Trump and other administration officials after their reporters were barred from the White House following Trump’s Sept. 18 announcement that he was banning the outlets. The organizations argued that the restrictions violated First Amendment protections for freedom of the press and Fifth Amendment due process guarantees.
Kelly said the outlets were likely to succeed in their argument that their credentials had been revoked without adequate due process. The judge noted that journalists generally must receive notice of alleged violations and an opportunity to respond before their White House hard passes are suspended or revoked.
The administration argued that the restrictions were justified by national security concerns and accused the outlets of publishing false or sensitive information. Kelly rejected that justification at this stage, saying the record did not provide sufficient factual support for the claim that revoking the journalists’ credentials would protect national security.
Trump had announced the ban on social media, criticizing the outlets’ coverage and accusing them of reporting what he described as false information. The White House has maintained that access to the presidential complex is a privilege rather than an entitlement and that the administration has authority to establish standards for journalists covering the president.
The dispute also affected the White House television press pool, which provides video of presidential events to participating broadcasters. CNN had been scheduled to participate in coverage of Trump’s trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, but its exclusion led other television networks to suspend the pool arrangement.
Kelly’s order does not resolve the underlying lawsuit. It keeps the outlets’ access in place for 14 days while the court considers further proceedings, leaving the broader constitutional questions over the administration’s authority and the journalists’ rights unresolved. The Justice Department is expected to challenge the ruling.
Sources: Information for this report was provided by Reuters, The Associated Press, CNN, The Washington Post, BBC News, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and other reporting on the federal court ruling.