Reporters from Politico, MS NOW and CNN were denied access to the White House just hours after a judge ruled that Donald Trump’s ban on the three outlets was likely unconstitutional and ordered their credentials to be restored.
US District Judge Tim Kelly’s overnight decision blocks the ban for 14 days, marking a setback for the president in his dispute with the media.
Politico said its reporter’s credentials were confiscated after the ruling. Laura Barrón-López of MS NOW said she was also prevented from entering the White House, while CNN reported that some of its staff were denied access to the grounds.
Speaking outside the White House complex, Ms Barrón-López said it was unclear whether the blocked entry represented defiance of the court order or a problem with the White House entry system.
White House representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In his ruling, Judge Kelly said the revocation of the journalists’ White House credentials had “likely violated their constitutional due process rights”. He also questioned the Department of Justice’s national security arguments for the ban, noting that Mr Trump had said it was prompted by what he alleged was false or negative coverage.
Theodore Boutrous, a lawyer for the three outlets, welcomed the decision, saying: “This is a strong ruling vindicating freedom of the press, due process and the rule of law. We greatly appreciate the court’s swift action.”
A coalition of press freedom groups and dozens of news organisations, including Reuters, filed a legal brief supporting the outlets on Wednesday.
Mr Trump announced the ban in a social media post on September 18. The three organisations sued the president and other members of his administration on Monday, arguing that the action breached First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press, as well as their due process rights.
