A US federal judge has ordered the administration of President Donald Trump to restore White House press access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico after ruling that the outlets were likely denied due process.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order on Thursday, September 24, directing the administration to immediately return and reinstate the journalists’ White House press credentials.
The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by the three media organisations after Trump announced on September 18 that they would be barred from the White House.
Kelly said the outlets were likely to succeed in showing that their press passes had been revoked without “constitutionally adequate due process.”
The judge also questioned the administration’s argument that national security concerns justified the ban.
“The record lacks factual support for defendants’ contention that the revocation of plaintiffs’ hard passes will in fact protect national security,” Kelly said.
He further noted that Trump’s own explanation for the ban focused on what the president described as the outlets’ lack of truthfulness and negative reporting rather than national security concerns.
Trump had earlier accused the three organisations of repeatedly publishing what he described as “FICTION and LIES” about his administration.
The affected media organisations sued Trump and other administration officials, arguing that the ban violated their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and the press, as well as their right to due process.
The Justice Department, however, argued that access to the White House is a privilege rather than an entitlement and maintained that the president had authority to suspend access to news organisations.
Kelly appeared unconvinced, noting that the administration had not provided the outlets with a meaningful opportunity to challenge the revocation of their credentials before the ban was imposed.
The dispute briefly continued on Thursday morning despite the court order, as journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were initially turned away from the White House grounds.
The outlets subsequently sought an emergency hearing, but their reporters were allowed back into the White House complex around midday after their credentials were restored.
The legal battle has attracted support from press freedom organisations and other media groups, which argued that restricting journalists because of their editorial viewpoint raises serious constitutional concerns.
The temporary order is set to remain in effect for 14 days unless the court extends or changes it.
