Judge blocks Trump’s White House media ban

A federal judge ruled on Thursday that former President Donald Trump must restore access to the White House for journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. Judge Tim Kelly issued the order in response to a lawsuit filed by the three media organizations, challenging the ban imposed by the Trump administration on September 18. The judge rejected the government's claim that the ban was driven by national security concerns, stating that there was no factual evidence supporting this assertion.

Trump had cited the outlets' reporting as "alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity" as the reason for the ban. The White House and the outlets' representatives did not respond to immediate requests for comment. The lawsuit was filed just weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, during which Trump's fellow Republicans are striving to maintain control of Congress.

The legal battle has taken place amid declining job approval ratings for Trump, as he faces criticism over issues such as the Iran war and inflation. Kelly cited two previous precedents from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, affirming that journalists are entitled to due process before their White House press passes are revoked.

The judge also found that the White House had not provided the targeted news outlets with a meaningful opportunity to contest the revocation of their access, arguing that the ban was unprecedented, unreasonable, and severe punishments.