A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists from the White House, ordering his administration to immediately restore their press credentials and access.
Trump announced the ban last week after repeatedly criticising the three organisations over coverage he considered unfair. He accused them of reporting “fiction and lies,” described them as “fake news,” and later argued that such reporting posed a threat to national security.
The three news organisations subsequently sued the Trump administration, arguing that excluding their journalists because of their reporting violated constitutional protections, including the First Amendment.
In his ruling on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly — who was appointed to the federal bench by Trump — granted the organisations a temporary restraining order. Kelly found that they were likely to succeed in showing that their press credentials had been revoked without constitutionally adequate due process and ordered the White House to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” their access. The order is temporary and remains in effect for 14 days while the legal dispute continues.
Despite the ruling, reporters from the affected organisations initially reported being turned away from the White House on Thursday morning, prompting the outlets to seek urgent intervention from the court. Their credentials were subsequently reactivated, and journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were allowed back onto the White House grounds later in the day.
The dispute unfolded during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States. The media organisations regained access in time to cover activities surrounding Xi’s visit to the White House, bringing at least a temporary end to the six-day restriction.