A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately restore White House press access to journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico, ruling that the ban imposed by President Donald Trump was likely unconstitutional. US District Judge Tim Kelly — a Trump appointee — issued a temporary restraining order on Thursday following an emergency hearing, requiring the White House to return the outlets' press passes. The order will remain in effect for 14 days while the court undertakes a closer review of the case.
The ban began on 18 September, when Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that the three outlets "shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES." The following morning, journalists from the affected organisations were denied entry to the White House grounds and had their credentials confiscated. The three news organisations filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington on Monday, arguing that the ban violated the First Amendment — the constitutional provision protecting free speech and press freedom — as well as their due process rights.
Judge Kelly grounded his ruling in established precedent, noting that appellate case law clearly requires that a journalist must receive advance notice of any alleged infraction and an opportunity to respond before a White House press pass can be suspended or revoked. The Justice Department had argued that access to the White House is "a privilege, not an entitlement," and sought to justify the ban partly on national security grounds, citing specific reports the administration claimed had disclosed sensitive information. However, Kelly was openly sceptical of the government's position, pointing out that the explanatory letters sent to the three outlets arrived only after the passes had already been revoked and the lawsuit had been filed.
The case drew a broad coalition of support for the banned outlets. The top five US television broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC — briefly suspended their shared "pool" coverage of the White House in solidarity, a rare collective action in American media. Dozens of news organisations, including Reuters, the Washington Post and Fox News, co-signed a legal brief asserting that "stripping journalists and news outlets of their rights because of perceived editorial viewpoint violates decades of Supreme Court jurisprudence."
The ruling represents a significant, if temporary, check on the administration's media strategy, which has also included the launch of "Trump TV," a White House-run streaming channel described as showing "top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights" around the clock. Trump, who has long labelled critical press as the "enemy of the people," indicated he anticipated an adverse ruling — writing last week that, given Kelly's 2018 decision restoring CNN reporter Jim Acosta's press pass in a similar dispute, the administration would "almost certainly" need to appeal. The access question now heads toward a fuller judicial review.