A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, temporarily blocking the president’s ban on the three news organisations.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order early on Thursday, saying the outlets were likely to show that their press credentials had been revoked without proper legal process.
The ruling requires White House officials and their representatives to immediately return and reinstate the organisations’ hard-pass credentials while the broader legal challenge continues.
President Donald Trump announced the ban on 18 September, accusing the outlets of “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS”. The organisations said they had been targeted because of the content of their coverage and described the move as a violation of First Amendment protections for freedom of the press.
Judge Kelly said the White House had failed to provide clear standards explaining what type of reporting could justify removing a journalist’s access. He described the administration’s references to objectionable coverage as too vague to satisfy the law.
He also rejected the government’s claim that the revocations were driven by national security concerns, saying there was nothing in the evidence predating the lawsuit to support that explanation.
“Nothing in the record … suggests that the revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes was motivated by national security concerns,” Mr Kelly wrote.
The Justice Department had argued that access to the White House was a privilege rather than a right, and that the president could impose standards of professionalism and protect classified information. Its lawyer, Michael Velchik, told the court that Mr Trump should be able to decide who was admitted to the complex.
Lawyers for the outlets countered that the national security justification appeared only after the lawsuit was filed, arguing that the president’s own statements showed the ban was retaliation for unfavourable coverage.
The organisations sued the administration on Monday, seeking the immediate restoration of their reporters’ access. Journalists from all three outlets had been turned away from the White House on Saturday and had their credentials taken by the Secret Service.
The dispute has also disrupted the White House television pool. CNN had been due to travel with Mr Trump to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, but was removed from the assignment. ABC News, CBS News, NBC News and Fox News subsequently suspended the pool in support of CNN.
Judge Kelly, who was nominated by Mr Trump in 2017, previously ordered the restoration of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s credentials during the president’s first term. The Justice Department is expected to appeal the latest ruling.
