Reporters from CNN and MS NOW returned to the White House Thursday afternoon, hours after a federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s ban on three news organisations and ordered his administration to immediately restore their press access. Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico had initially remained locked out Thursday morning despite the ruling, prompting the outlets to return to court seeking an urgent hearing over what they said was the administration’s failure to comply with the order.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order early Thursday requiring administration officials to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” White House hard-pass credentials held by employees of CNN, MS NOW and Politico. Kelly found that the news organisations were likely to succeed on their claim that their credentials had been revoked without constitutionally adequate due process.
Reporters initially turned away
Despite the order, journalists from all three organisations said they were stopped when they attempted to enter the White House grounds Thursday morning. The outlets subsequently filed an emergency request asking the court for an immediate hearing, saying their journalists continued to be denied access despite the explicit direction to restore their credentials.
The filing said a Secret Service agent had confiscated the journalists’ credentials when they attempted to enter. Hours later, however, reporters from CNN and MS NOW were allowed back onto the White House grounds, marking the first restoration of access since Trump imposed the ban last week.
The status of Politico’s journalists was not immediately clear at the time CNN and MS NOW reporters were readmitted. The rapid sequence — a court order, continued denial of access and the subsequent return of some journalists — intensified the legal confrontation over the White House’s authority to determine which established news organisations may cover the presidency from inside the complex.
Judge questions White House reasoning
Trump announced the ban on September 18, accusing CNN, MS NOW and Politico of reporting “fiction and lies”. His administration subsequently cited national security concerns while defending the decision in court, arguing that some reporting by the organisations involved sensitive information.
Kelly was sceptical of that explanation, finding little evidence that national security concerns had motivated the original decision to revoke the outlets’ credentials. The judge noted that Trump’s initial public explanation had focused on what he regarded as inaccurate and negative coverage rather than security concerns.
The court also focused on the process followed before the journalists lost their White House access. Kelly said established precedent required journalists holding White House hard passes to receive notice and an opportunity to respond before the government deprived them of that access.
The temporary restraining order does not finally decide the constitutional dispute between the administration and the three organisations. It restores their access for 14 days while litigation over the legality of the ban continues.
Press freedom fight escalates
CNN, MS NOW and Politico have argued that the White House singled them out because of the content of their journalism, describing the action as a violation of their First Amendment rights. The administration has defended the President’s authority over access to the White House while disputing the outlets’ characterisation of the restrictions.
The confrontation is the latest legal battle over press access involving Trump. During his first administration, the White House revoked CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credentials following a contentious press conference, but a federal judge subsequently ordered that his pass be restored.
The Trump administration has also faced a separate legal dispute over restrictions imposed on The Associated Press after the organisation continued to use “Gulf of Mexico” in its reporting while acknowledging Trump’s decision to rename the body of water the “Gulf of America”. Those disputes have placed the extent of presidential authority over White House press access under renewed judicial scrutiny.
The latest case will continue even after Thursday’s temporary order, with the court yet to reach a final determination on the outlets’ broader constitutional challenge. For now, Kelly’s ruling prevents administration officials from enforcing the ban against CNN, MS NOW and Politico while the litigation proceeds.