A US judge has ordered the White House to restore press access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico after ruling that the Trump administration had not provided sufficient legal grounds for barring the three news organisations from the building.
Highlights
- A federal judge temporarily blocked the White House media ban.
- CNN, MS NOW and Politico must have their press access restored for 14 days.
- The outlets had challenged the confiscation of reporters’ White House hard passes.
- The judge questioned the administration’s national security justification.
- The White House has not yet commented on the ruling.
Main Story
Judge Blocks White House Media Ban
A federal judge in Washington, DC, has ordered the White House to immediately restore press access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
The decision comes after the three news organisations challenged their exclusion from the White House, arguing that the administration’s move to confiscate reporters’ hard passes was unconstitutional.
Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order requiring the outlets’ access to be restored for 14 days while the wider legal dispute continues.
Court Questions Administration’s Defence
The Trump administration defended the restrictions by accusing the affected outlets of publishing false information and arguing that their reporting posed concerns for national security.
Judge Kelly was not persuaded by those arguments at this stage of the case.
He found that the news organisations were likely to succeed in arguing that the administration had failed to provide adequate due process when it revoked their access.
The judge also questioned the national security explanation, noting that Trump did not cite national security concerns when the restrictions were initially announced.
Judge Finds Limited Evidence
In his ruling, Kelly said the administration had not presented enough factual evidence to demonstrate that removing the reporters’ hard passes would protect national security.
He also noted that several of the articles cited by the White House as justification for the restrictions were written by journalists who did not hold the passes in question.
For the remaining articles, the judge said the administration had not adequately shown that the reporters’ possession of White House hard passes was necessary for the reporting that had drawn the government’s criticism.
Legal Battle Continues
The dispute centres on the relationship between the Trump administration and media organisations covering the White House.
The three outlets had sought court intervention after their reporters were denied access following the revocation of their credentials.
The temporary order does not settle the underlying case but prevents the restrictions from remaining in place while the legal proceedings continue.
The White House has yet to issue a public response to the ruling.
The administration’s lawyers could still seek further legal action as the dispute over press access moves through the courts.
The ruling is a fresh test of the balance between presidential power, press freedom and the courts with the wider battle over White House media access far from over.
