CNN, MS NOW, Politico call on judge to block White House ban

Three major news outlets, CNN, MSNBC, and Politico, are set to appear in a federal court in Washington on Thursday in an attempt to secure a judge's order protecting them from being banned from the White House.

President Donald Trump has recently revoked their access to the White House, citing their publication of what he described as "FAKE NEWS." This move marks a new escalation in Trump's pressure campaign against media coverage that he disapproves of.

In a previous attempt to ban CNN reporter Jim Acosta from the White House, Trump's orders were blocked by then-US District Judge Timothy Kelly on September 24th. Kelly ruled that the ban was likely in violation of the outlets' Fifth Amendment right to fair treatment under the Constitution. However, Kelly did not rule on the outlets' claim that the ban violated their First Amendment free speech rights.

The outlets have requested an order preventing the ban from taking effect until a final ruling is made. They argue that the revocation of their passes was unlawful retaliation for their coverage and accused the administration of fabricating national security concerns to justify the ban.

According to the Justice Department, the outlets put national security at risk by publishing classified information, citing stories about the construction of Trump's White House ballroom and attendance at the recent Republican midterm convention. However, Judge Kelly remained skeptical of the government's arguments during a September 23rd hearing.

The legal battle occurs just weeks before the upcoming November 3rd midterm elections, in which Trump's fellow Republicans are striving to maintain control of Congress. Trump's job approval ratings are at their lowest during his political career, with concerns over the Iran war and inflation contributing to the dip.