After President Donald Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House last month, a federal judge once again blocked Trump from doing so.
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly wrote in the decision released Tuesday evening that the media organizations “will likely prevail not only on their due process claims but also on their First Amendment claims.” Thus, the Court accepted the request for interim measures and extended the period of the previously agreed measure; this will continue to maintain the status quo as the case progresses.
“Nonetheless, no one should interpret the Court’s decision to mean that President Trump’s concerns about the accuracy and fairness of media reporting are unfounded or that the government, whose true purpose is to protect national security, is powerless in the event of illegal disclosure of classified information,” the judge said.
The judge had previously ordered the White House to immediately restore access to news organizations on Sept. 24 after the President initially banned it. At the time, Kelly agreed to a request for a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed by news organizations against Trump and three White House officials, claiming the ban violated the First Amendment.
“The White House must immediately return, reinstate, and restore White House ‘hard pass’ press credentials held by CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO employees that were revoked on or about September 18, 2026, pending further Order of the Court or expiration of this Temporary Restraining Order,” Kelly wrote in the order.
In September, Trump said on social media that the White House was “proud to announce that it has banned the three outlets, effective immediately.” When reporters from those news organizations arrived the next day, they were denied entry despite “arduous passage.” CNN, MS NOW, and Politico later sued Trump and three White House officials, claiming the ban violated the First Amendment and “brazenly discriminates based on editorial viewpoint.”