White House reinstates access for banned reporters

CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters regained White House access for the first time since Friday, after a judge ordered the Trump administration to reinstate their credentials. This marks the end of a press boycott that deprived the American public of crucial visual coverage of President Trump's recent meetings. As of 1pm ET, it remains uncertain if television pool cameras would cover President Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the networks were still awaiting confirmation from the White House on CNN's role in managing those duties.

The major networks were waiting for confirmation of CNN's reinstated access before they could manage the pool. CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the White House, arguing the president and administration had violated their rights by blocking their access over the weekend. A judge, Timothy J. Kelly, ruled in their favor, granting a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to restore their access for 14 days.

The judge found the plaintiffs had a strong likelihood of success, particularly in their claim under the Fifth Amendment procedural due process. Despite the court order, reporters from the outlets were briefly denied access on Thursday, leading to a request for an immediate hearing. White House press operations director Micah Stopperich stated the administration received notice of the order at 7:10am ET and began the process at 7:25am ET, making badges available for pick-up at 9:55am ET.

Kelly has not yet ruled on a preliminary injunction requested by the plaintiffs, but he aims to rule expeditiously. The White House has indicated it may appeal the ruling, but won't be able to do so for the next two weeks. Kelly's decision does not address the plaintiffs' First Amendment claims, which will likely be further litigated.