US Judge blocks Trump’s White House media ban, orders restore access

A US federal judge on Thursday (September 24) ordered the Trump administration to restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, ruling that the ban imposed by President Donald Trump was likely unconstitutional.

US District Judge Tim Kelly ordered the immediate return of the outlets’ press credentials and barred the administration from enforcing the ban for 14 days while the legal challenge proceeds.

The three news organizations sued Trump and other administration officials after their White House access was revoked on September 18. They argued that the move violated First Amendment protections for freedom of the press and their due process rights.

Kelly rejected the administration’s claim that the ban was justified by national security concerns, saying the government had not provided sufficient factual support for that argument. He also noted that Trump had publicly linked the decision to what he described as the outlets’ lack of truthfulness and negative reporting.

The judge said journalists were entitled to notice and an opportunity to challenge the revocation of their White House press passes before losing access. He found that the targeted outlets had not been given a meaningful opportunity to contest the decision.

The Justice Department had argued that access to the White House is a privilege rather than an entitlement and that the president has authority to suspend access for news organizations. It also cited national security concerns in defending the ban.

A coalition of press-freedom groups and news organizations, including the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Reuters, The Washington Post and Fox News, filed a brief supporting the three outlets, arguing that press access cannot be withdrawn because of a news organization’s editorial viewpoint.