CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists have regained access to the White House after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore their press credentials, six days after President Donald Trump barred the three news organisations.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to immediately restore the journalists’ access for 14 days while the legal dispute continues.
Kelly said the outlets were likely to establish that the revocation of their White House credentials violated their constitutional due process rights.
The ruling followed a joint lawsuit filed by CNN, MS NOW and Politico after Trump announced the ban on September 18.
Trump had accused the outlets of publishing what he described as “fiction and lies” and “fake news.”
The news organisations argued that the administration’s action violated their rights under the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech and freedom of the press, as well as their due process rights under the Constitution.
Despite Kelly’s overnight ruling, reporters from the three organisations were initially denied entry to the White House on Thursday morning.
Some journalists said their credentials were confiscated or remained inactive despite the court order. The outlets subsequently asked Kelly for an emergency hearing, arguing that the administration had failed to comply with his ruling.
The White House later said it had begun restoring the affected journalists’ credentials and that the process of reactivating their passes had caused the delay.
By around midday, reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were allowed back onto the White House grounds.
CNN correspondent Betsy Klein resumed reporting from the White House, where journalists from other organisations gathered around the network’s work area and welcomed her return.
The dispute began after Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would no longer be allowed into the White House, accusing them of repeatedly publishing information he considered false.
The administration subsequently argued in court that access to the White House is a privilege rather than a constitutional right and that the President has authority to control reporters’ access to restricted areas.
The Justice Department also cited national security concerns, accusing the three organisations of publishing sensitive information.
The White House Press Office specifically accused CNN of reporting on issues involving the US-Iran war and Trump’s proposed construction of a military bunker beneath the planned East Wing ballroom. Similar allegations were made against MS NOW and Politico.
Kelly, however, questioned whether national security was actually the reason behind the decision to revoke the outlets’ credentials.
The judge said the available record did not persuade him that the national security justification was the actual motivation for the revocations. He also noted that Trump’s own public explanation for the ban focused on the outlets’ reporting.
The legal battle has also affected the White House television press pool, in which broadcasters share coverage of presidential events.
ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC had announced that they would suspend pool coverage in solidarity with CNN after the network was removed from the pool.
The dispute became particularly significant on Thursday as Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Trump at the White House. Television pool cameras were not initially positioned for Xi’s arrival on the South Lawn.
The court order does not permanently resolve the dispute. It temporarily prevents enforcement of the ban while the broader lawsuit proceeds.
The case will determine whether the administration’s decision to revoke the journalists’ access was lawful and whether the White House can exclude established news organisations from its press facilities based on the reasons given by the administration.
For now, CNN, MS NOW and Politico have their White House access restored under the judge’s 14-day order, although the underlying legal challenge remains ongoing.
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