US judge orders Trump admin to restore CNN, MS NOW, Politico access

A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore White House access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, ruling that the outlets’ press credentials were revoked without constitutionally adequate due process, The Guardian reported.

US District Judge Tim Kelly issued the temporary restraining order on Thursday after the three media organisations challenged President Donald Trump’s decision to bar them from the White House. The order requires the administration to return their press passes and will remain in effect for 14 days.

Kelly said journalists should have received advance notice of an alleged violation and an opportunity to respond before their White House access was suspended or revoked.

The Trump administration argued that access to the White House is a privilege rather than an entitlement and sought to justify the decision on national security grounds. However, Kelly questioned the explanation, noting that Trump had initially accused the three outlets of reporting “fiction” and “lies” rather than citing national security concerns.

The judge also pointed out that letters explaining the national security justification were sent to the outlets only after their access had already been revoked and after they had filed the lawsuit.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico had argued that the ban violated First Amendment protections for freedom of speech and a free press, as well as their due process rights.

A coalition of press freedom organisations and several major news outlets, including Reuters, The Washington Post and Fox News, also filed a legal brief supporting the three media organisations.

The ruling is temporary and does not resolve the broader legal dispute. The court has given both sides two weeks to submit further arguments and evidence before considering a more comprehensive ruling.