Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump's White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico

On September 24, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to restore White House access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, according to The Associated Press. The three news outlets had their press credentials revoked by the Trump administration, which they claimed was a retaliatory act for their critical reporting, violating their First Amendment rights.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that the organizations have a high likelihood of proving their constitutional due process rights were infringed upon when their credentials were suddenly revoked without prior notice or an opportunity to respond. The judge criticized the White House's justification for the ban as being too vague.

The Justice Department argued that the president retains broad authority over who enters the White House, and press access is considered a privilege, not a right. The news organizations' attorney maintained that the restrictions have already harmed their coverage of major events in Washington, causing direct harm to newsroom staff.

Judge Kelly reminded himself that he was bound by D.C. Circuit precedent, regardless of the administration's disagreement with past rulings. Trump had criticized CNN, MSNBC, and Politico on September 18, stating he no longer wanted their correspondents on White House grounds, hinting that similar restrictions could be imposed on other newsrooms.

CNN, MS NOW, and Politico jointly filed a federal civil lawsuit against the Trump administration on September 21, asserting that the ban directly violated their First Amendment protections for freedom of speech and freedom of the press under the U.S. Constitution. Major American television networks suspended joint broadcast pool coverage of Trump's official activities in protest of the administration's denial of access to their press colleagues.