Judge Orders White House to Restore CNN, MS NOW, Politico Access
A US federal judge has temporarily blocked Donald Trump’s White House media ban and ordered access restored for CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
A US federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s move to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House and ordered the administration to restore their press access. US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order while the court considers the broader legal challenge.
The three media organisations sued after their White House credentials were revoked on September 18. They argued that the decision was based on the content of their coverage and violated First Amendment protections. The Trump administration has defended the restrictions, arguing that the president has broad authority over White House access and that national security concerns were involved.
Kelly said the outlets had met the legal threshold for temporary relief, including showing a likelihood of success on their claims and potential irreparable harm without court intervention. He also questioned whether the administration had provided adequate due process before revoking the press credentials.
The Justice Department argued that access to the White House is a privilege rather than a right and defended the administration’s authority to determine which journalists receive access. The outlets, meanwhile, maintained that the ban amounted to viewpoint discrimination.
For now, the ruling requires the administration to immediately reinstate the outlets’ White House hard-pass credentials. The temporary order will remain in place for 14 days unless the court changes it earlier, while the wider First Amendment dispute continues.
