Judge Orders White House to Restore Access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico

CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters are getting their White House passes back.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the White House to immediately reinstate their hard passes, the long-term credentials that allow regular access to the complex. The ruling came a little after midnight on Thursday, 24 September, according to Variety.

The order grants the three outlets a temporary restraining order lasting 14 days. That is a short-term court order that preserves the status quo while the case continues.

Kelly found the outlets were likely to succeed on their Fifth Amendment procedural due process claim. That claim concerns whether the government followed fair procedure before acting. The White House did not dispute that the outlets received no notice and no opportunity to be heard before their passes were revoked.

The judge also found the outlets were likely to suffer irreparable harm without the order. Irreparable harm means injury that money alone cannot fix, such as lost access to news events.

The passes were revoked on or about 18 September. President Donald Trump had announced that day that he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House effective immediately.

The three outlets sued Trump and three White House officials on the Monday after the ban. Kelly heard arguments on their request for a restraining order without ruling at once, as reported by AP. Hours later, he issued the written order.

In court filings, the White House said the ban was necessary to prevent disclosure of classified and sensitive national security information. It cited a 16 January 2026 CNN report containing details of East Wing bunker construction.

Kelly did not decide whether the revocations infringed the outlets’ First Amendment rights. That issue concerns freedom of speech and of the press. He left it unaddressed.

Kelly is a Trump appointee. He has ruled in a similar dispute before. In 2018, he ordered the White House to restore CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s press pass after it was revoked following a contentious news conference, according to Reuters.

What makes this stand out is the speed. Reporters lost standing access on 18 September. Six days later, a court told the White House to hand it back, at least for now.