Judge orders White House access restored for three outlets. Television networks resume shared coverage of presidential events today.
A federal judge has ordered the White House to restore press access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico after President Donald Trump’s administration barred journalists from the three organizations from the White House grounds.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order early Thursday requiring the administration to immediately return, reinstate and restore the journalists’ credentials. The order will remain in effect for 14 days while the court considers the media organizations’ broader legal challenge. Kelly said the outlets were likely to succeed in arguments that their credentials had been revoked without adequate due process.
The administration had argued that the restrictions were justified by concerns involving national security, professionalism and the publication of sensitive information. Kelly questioned the evidence presented to support those claims, noting that some of the reporting cited by the White House was routine and, in some cases, months or years old. He also pointed to the absence of advance notice and an opportunity for the journalists to challenge the credential revocations.
The ruling did not immediately end the dispute. Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were initially turned away from the White House again Thursday morning despite the court order. Attorneys for the outlets sought an emergency hearing, while White House officials said the process of restoring the credentials had already begun. The journalists were later permitted to enter the complex around midday.
The dispute also affected the White House television pool, a system in which ABC, CBS, Fox News, NBC and CNN share video coverage of presidential events. The other four networks had suspended the pool after CNN was excluded from its assigned duties. Reuters reported Friday that the television pool resumed coverage as the legal dispute continued, allowing shared coverage of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the White House.
The controversy remains subject to further court proceedings. The media organizations have argued that the administration’s actions violated constitutional protections involving freedom of the press and due process, while government lawyers have defended the restrictions and maintained that access to the White House is subject to administration rules.
Sources: Information from NBC News, CNN, The Guardian, Reuters, Associated Press and CBS News was used to report and cross-check this story.