US Judge Orders Trump Administration to Lift White House Ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico

A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, temporarily blocking President Donald Trump’s ban on the three news organisations.

US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued the order on September 24 after the outlets sued the administration, arguing that their exclusion violated First Amendment protections for freedom of the press and their right to due process. Kelly ordered officials to immediately return and restore their press access for 14 days while the legal challenge continues.

Trump announced the ban on September 18, accusing the three organisations of producing what he described as false and negative coverage. His administration later argued in court that the restrictions were connected to national security and that access to the White House was a privilege rather than a guaranteed right.

Kelly, however, questioned the government’s justification, finding that the administration had provided insufficient evidence that removing the journalists’ credentials was necessary for national security. He also said the outlets were likely to succeed in showing that their credentials were revoked without adequate notice or an opportunity to challenge the decision.

The ruling led to a chaotic return for the affected journalists. Although the White House initially continued blocking some reporters after the order was issued, their access was eventually restored later on Thursday. CNN and MS NOW nevertheless reported that some of their journalists were subsequently denied access to the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping for a White House state dinner.

The dispute has also affected the broader White House press pool. CNN had been part of a rotating group of major television networks responsible for providing shared video coverage of presidential events. After CNN was excluded, the other networks suspended the pool arrangement rather than replace it, creating an unusual disruption to coverage of the president.

The case has attracted support from a wider group of media organisations and press-freedom groups, which argue that government officials cannot punish news organisations because of disagreement with their reporting. The administration maintains that it has authority to determine access to the White House and has defended its actions in court.

The temporary order does not settle the underlying constitutional dispute. The lawsuit will continue, and the court could ultimately have to determine whether the administration’s decision violated First Amendment protections or established due-process requirements for White House press credentials.