Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s White House Media Ban, Orders CNN, MS NOW and Politico Access Restored

A federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House on Thursday, ordering the administration to immediately restore the news organizations’ press credentials while their legal challenge continues.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order after concluding that the outlets were likely to succeed on their claim that the administration violated their constitutional due process rights. Kelly ordered officials to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” the White House hard passes that had been revoked.

President Trump announced the ban on Sept. 18, accusing the three organizations of repeatedly publishing false information about his administration. The White House subsequently revoked their credentials, preventing their reporters from accessing White House grounds under their existing passes.

The administration defended the decision partly on national security grounds. Justice Department attorneys argued that White House access is a privilege rather than an entitlement and maintained that the president has broad authority over which reporters are permitted into restricted presidential areas.

Kelly was skeptical of that argument. He said the record did not provide sufficient factual support for the claim that restoring the outlets’ credentials would endanger national security and noted that Trump’s original announcement focused primarily on what the president described as inaccurate and negative coverage.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed their lawsuit earlier this week, arguing that the administration violated both the First Amendment and the Fifth Amendment. Their attorneys said the outlets had been punished for their coverage without receiving adequate notice or a meaningful opportunity to challenge the decision beforehand.

Kelly’s ruling focused particularly on the due process argument. He cited previous federal appellate decisions establishing procedural protections for journalists whose White House credentials are revoked and concluded that the outlets had demonstrated enough likelihood of success to justify temporary relief.

The dispute continued Thursday morning even after the order was issued. Reporters from all three organizations said they were initially turned away when attempting to enter the White House, prompting their attorneys to request an emergency hearing and accuse the administration of failing to comply with Kelly’s ruling.

By around midday, journalists from CNN and MS NOW reported that they had regained access and had their credentials returned. Politico’s status was initially less clear as the legal teams continued addressing implementation of the court order.

The ruling does not permanently settle whether the White House can exclude the three organizations. Kelly’s order lasts for 14 days and preserves their access while the broader constitutional lawsuit proceeds, leaving the ultimate legality of the administration’s media restrictions for further court proceedings.