Judge Orders White House to Restore Press Passes for CNN, Politico and MS Now
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately restore White House press access for CNN, Politico and MS Now.
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly granted a temporary restraining order — a short-term emergency order that holds things in place while a case continues — after President Donald Trump banned the three outlets. The order directs the administration to return press passes revoked under a ban announced on 18 September. Kelly found the ban was likely unconstitutional, according to contemporaneous reporting from the hearing. The Guardian The order remains in effect for 14 days. ABC News
The three organizations sued Trump and other administration members in federal court in Washington on Monday. They alleged the ban violated First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press, as well as due process rights. In plain terms, due process means fair procedures before the government takes something away. They requested a temporary restraining order to reinstate access while the full legal challenge proceeds.
Trump said on social media the three outlets should not be able to constantly write or report "FICTION" and "LIES." Justice Department lawyers sought to justify the exclusion on national security grounds.
In a Tuesday filing, the department argued that White House access is a privilege, not an entitlement, and that the president has authority to suspend access by news organizations. A government lawyer told Kelly the administration had provided sufficient explanation in letters sent to the outlets on Tuesday.
Kelly signaled skepticism toward that argument. The letters were sent after the revocation and after the lawsuit was filed. That timing undercut the claim that the outlets had received adequate process before losing access.
Kelly is a district judge in Washington. The New York Times He has decided a similar access dispute before. During the first Trump administration, Kelly granted a temporary restraining order restoring the White House press badge and access of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta. CNN Not every such challenge has succeeded at the temporary-relief stage. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden declined a request from The Associated Press to temporarily lift a Trump-imposed ban on its White House access. CNN
The broader context here is that the ruling turns less on the quality of coverage than on procedure and timing. Kelly did not issue a final decision on constitutionality. He concluded only that the outlets were likely to prevail and needed immediate relief to avoid harm while the case continues. Temporary relief preserves reporting capacity without settling the underlying dispute over presidential control of White House grounds.
In my view, the next questions will center on justification and process. The administration asserted national security and presidential discretion. The outlets asserted viewpoint-based exclusion and lack of due process. The judge focused on sequence. An after-the-fact letter, sent once litigation had begun, did not answer why passes were revoked without prior notice or standards. For an administration seeking broader deference on credentialing, that procedural gap may prove harder to defend than the substantive claim of authority itself. The 14-day window leaves both sides little time to refine those positions before the court revisits the issue.
