🔴 US judge lifts Trump's White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, Politico

A federal judge ruled on Thursday that former President Donald Trump must restore press access for journalists from CNN, MSNBC and Politico, ruling his ban on the three media outlets likely unconstitutional. The decision came in a lawsuit filed by the news organizations contesting the ban announced by Trump on September 18. Judge Tim Kelly ordered the administration to immediately return the outlets' press passes and blocked officials from enforcing the ban for 14 days.

He dismissed the government's claim that the ban was driven by national security concerns, stating there was insufficient evidence to support this assertion. Trump had cited the outlets' "alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity" as reasons for the ban, while Justice Department lawyers argued it was to safeguard national security.

The three outlets filed the lawsuit on Monday, arguing the ban violated the First Amendment and their due process rights. They requested a temporary restraining order to immediately restore their access to the White House while their legal challenge progressed. The legal dispute has unfolded weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, in which Trump's Republican party is seeking to maintain control of Congress.

The judge referenced two precedents from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, ruling that journalists are entitled to due process before their White House press passes can be revoked and suggesting the White House had not provided a meaningful opportunity for the targeted news outlets to contest the revocation.

The Justice Department argued that press access is a privilege, not an entitlement, and the president has the authority to suspend access by news organizations. However, the judge expressed skepticism about this argument, noting the letters about the revocation were sent after the lawsuit was filed. A coalition of press freedom groups and numerous news organizations submitted a legal brief supporting the three news outlets, asserting that stripping journalists and news outlets of their rights based on perceived editorial viewpoint violates decades of Supreme Court rulings.