Federal judge orders temporary restoration of White House access for CNN, MS Now, Politico journalists
Quick Look
A federal judge has ordered the temporary restoration of White House press access for journalists from CNN, MS Now, and Politico, ruling that President Donald Trump's media ban is likely unconstitutional and lacks factual support for national security claims.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
President Trump announced a ban on CNN, MS Now, and Politico journalists from the White House effective immediately, citing 'cumulative stories' by the outlets as justification.
A federal judge has ordered White House access to journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico to be temporarily restored, saying U.S. President Donald Trump's media ban was likely unconstitutional.
In his ruling, District Judge Tim Kelly said the three outlets should have their access immediately restored from the ban that the president had announced on Sept. 18. The judge had been nominated by Trump to the federal bench in 2017.
Kelly said the Trump administration must return, reinstate and restore the White House "hard pass" press credentials held by employees of the three outlets that had been revoked. The order is set to remain in effect for 14 days.
"Simply put—the record lacks factual support for Defendants' contention that the revocation of Plaintiffs' hard passes will in fact protect national security or that national security will be endangered if the Court orders their passes reinstated while this litigation proceeds," Kelly said.
In a Truth Social post last week, Trump said he was banning the outlets from the White House effective immediately, warning that other "Fake News Media Outlets" could follow.
The president cited what he called "cumulative stories" by the three news organizations, adding, "You get sick of it."
Disclosure: CNBC and MS NOW are divisions of Versant Media.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Trump administration will appeal the judge's ruling to restore White House access for the three news outlets.
Likely · Within days
The legal challenge regarding the constitutionality of the media ban will continue beyond the 14-day temporary restoration period.
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will the ban be permanently lifted after the 14-day period?
- What specific stories did Trump cite as justification for the ban?
- Will other news outlets face similar restrictions?
