Federal Judge Temporarily Reinstates White House Press Credentials for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico

A federal judge has directed the Trump administration to temporarily bring back White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico after concluding that the outlets are likely to win their claim that their press credentials were revoked without enough constitutional due process. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order requiring administration officials to immediately restore the hard passes that allow the three news organizations' employees to enter the White House. The order will stay in place for 14 days unless the court rules otherwise. The decision comes from a lawsuit filed by CNN, MS NOW, and Politico after President Donald Trump announced on September 18 that the outlets would be banned from the White House. The organizations sued the administration in federal court, alleging that their First Amendment and due process rights were violated. During a hearing on Wednesday, September 24, Kelly referred to earlier court decisions establishing that journalists generally must receive notice and a chance to respond before their White House press credentials are suspended or revoked. Kelly determined that the administration had not given the outlets adequate due process before withdrawing their credentials. He also cast doubt on the government's national security justification, writing that there was little evidence the revocations were initially driven by national security concerns. Trump had accused the three organizations of publishing what he described as "FICTION and LIES" while administration lawyers argued that their reporting raised national security issues. The Justice Department defended the restrictions in court, saying that White House access is a privilege, not an entitlement, and that the president has wide latitude to control who enters the complex. Lawyers for the news organizations rejected that position, arguing that the government could not take away established press access because it disagreed with an outlet's reporting or editorial viewpoint. A coalition of press freedom groups and dozens of news outlets also backed CNN, MS NOW, and Politico in the dispute. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and about 50 news organizations submitted a brief supporting the plaintiffs. Kelly's temporary order does not settle the underlying lawsuit. Instead, it restores the outlets' access while the court continues to consider their broader constitutional challenge to the administration's decision. The ruling calls for the affected credentials to be reinstated right away and blocks the ban from being enforced during the 14-day window, unless the court issues another order.