Judge blocks Trump's White House media ban, orders access to be restored

A federal judge on Thursday (Sep 24) ruled that US President Donald Trump must restore access to White House media for CNN, MSNBC and Politico, dismissing his ban as likely unconstitutional. The decision came from a lawsuit filed by the three news organizations challenging the restriction President Trump announced on Sep 18. US District Judge Tim Kelly issued his order in the legal battle and ordered the administration to immediately return the outlets' press passes while blocking officials from enforcing the ban for 14 days.

The judge rejected the government's claim that the ban was motivated by national security concerns, stating there was insufficient evidence to support that assertion. Trump had cited alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity in the outlets' reporting as the reason for the ban.