Judge orders White House to restore access to news outlets Trump banned

A federal judge temporarily halted President Donald Trump's decision to exclude three news outlets from the White House grounds, ordering CNN, MSNBC and Politico to restore their access. The ruling comes amid a growing conflict between the president and media outlets whose reporting he finds unfavorable. Trump initiated the ban on September 18, criticizing the outlets as "fake news."

The president has also claimed that negative coverage is hazardous to the country's well-being. The news organizations contend they were targeted due to the nature of their reporting—a form of viewpoint discrimination—and denounced the ban as a straightforward breach of the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, nominated by Trump in 2017 and who previously ordered a CNN journalist's access restored in a similar case in 2018, heard arguments on Wednesday.

While he did not issue a ruling at that time, he issued a temporary restraining order on Thursday, which will remain in place for 14 days. This type of order is typically intended to maintain the current state of affairs until the court conducts a more thorough examination of the case. During the hearing, Kelly questioned whether the administration had fulfilled its legal obligations and provided adequate due process to CNN, MSNBC and Politico before banning them.

The judge's prior rulings in similar press access cases, including one that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, established that journalists have the right to be heard before their press credentials are revoked. The Justice Department attorney, Michael Velchik, argued that the earlier rulings were incorrect. The judge acknowledged that his decision would be informed by previous decisions in comparable First Amendment cases, even if the government disagrees with them.