The White House on Thursday restored access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico after a federal judge ruled that US President Donald Trump’s ban on the three news organisations was likely unconstitutional and ordered their press credentials reinstated.
The reinstatement came after the journalists were initially blocked from entering the White House grounds despite the court order, prompting the three organisations to seek an emergency hearing before US District Judge Tim Kelly.
Kelly, who was appointed by Trump in 2017, ordered the administration to restore the outlets’ access for 14 days while their legal challenge proceeds. He found that revoking the journalists’ White House credentials likely violated their constitutional due process rights and questioned the administration’s national security justification for the ban.
The outlets said their journalists remained barred for several hours after the ruling. Politico said one reporter’s credentials were confiscated, while MS NOW and CNN said some of their journalists were denied entry.
Micah Stopperich, the White House director of press operations, said in a court filing that the administration began reinstating the affected press badges at 7:25 a.m. and made them available at the entrance around 9:55 a.m.
After receiving the filing, Kelly denied the outlets’ request for an emergency hearing but allowed them to update the court on any further developments.
The dispute unfolded as Trump was in New York for the UN General Assembly and preparing to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House.
The White House television press pool had suspended pooled coverage earlier in solidarity with CNN. No pool cameras were in place for Xi’s arrival on the South Lawn on Thursday morning, and FOX News, MS NOW and CNN did not broadcast the arrival ceremony live.
CNN is one of five organisations — alongside ABC, CBS, FOX News and NBC — that make up the primary White House television pool. The outlets share the costs of presidential coverage, rotate responsibility for organising it and distribute footage to other media organisations.
Trump announced the ban on September 18, accusing the three outlets of repeatedly reporting “FICTION and LIES” about him. The administration later cited national security concerns as justification for the restrictions.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued Trump and members of his administration, arguing that the ban violated the First Amendment protections for freedom of speech and the press, as well as their due process rights.
The Justice Department argued that the outlets’ reporting posed national security risks, citing stories about US missile stockpiles, construction of Trump’s White House ballroom and attendance at a recent Republican midterm convention.
Kelly rejected that argument, saying the record lacked factual support for the claim that revoking the outlets’ press passes would protect national security or that restoring them would endanger it.
The outlets were also supported in court by a coalition of press freedom groups and dozens of news organisations, including Reuters.
The legal dispute follows a series of confrontations between Trump’s administration and major news organisations over White House access. On Wednesday, an Iowa judge also dismissed Trump’s 2024 lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer, ruling that the poll at the centre of the case was legally protected speech.