Trump’s White House Media Ban Halted as Judge Restores Access for CNN, Others
A federal judge in the United States has blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from excluding journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, ordering that they retain access while their legal challenge proceeds.
District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled on Tuesday that reporters from the three media organisations must be allowed into the White House, finding that they were likely to succeed in arguing that the ban violated due process and constitutional protections for press freedom.
Kelly said the outlets had strong grounds to challenge the decision under the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of the press, as well as due process protections.
Trump barred the three organisations from the White House on September 18, accusing them of publishing false and misleading reports.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico subsequently filed a joint lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction to overturn the restriction.
An earlier court order had temporarily restored the journalists’ White House credentials, but that protection was due to expire on Tuesday. Kelly extended the relief to preserve the existing arrangement while the case continues.
The judge also observed that Trump likely excluded the outlets because he viewed their reporting as inaccurate and unfavourable to his administration.
The ruling comes amid the president’s longstanding tensions with major media organisations, which he has repeatedly accused of biased reporting and criticised for their coverage of his presidency.
