White House Restores Access to CNN, Politico and MS NOW Following Federal Court Order

The White House has restored press access to CNN, Politico, and MS NOW after a federal judge issued an order ruling that President Donald Trump's ban on the three news organizations likely violated the Constitution. The access was reinstated shortly after the outlets requested an emergency court hearing on Thursday morning, reporting that their journalists were still being turned away despite the overnight court decision.

Court Ruling and National Security Claims

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that the administration's ban should be temporarily suspended for 14 days and ordered the immediate return of the journalists' press credentials. Judge Kelly determined that the news organizations were likely to succeed in demonstrating that the White House failed to provide adequate constitutional due process. Furthermore, the judge rejected the administration's argument that the exclusion was based on national security, noting that President Trump did not mention security concerns when initially announcing the ban and stating that the record lacked factual backing to support the government's claims.

The legal dispute began after President Trump announced last Friday that he was barring the three organizations over allegations of false reporting. By Saturday morning, reporters from CNN, Politico, and MS NOW were refused entry to the White House grounds, and their hard passes were confiscated. In response, the outlets filed a lawsuit alleging constitutional violations, supported by an amicus brief from over 50 media organizations, including Fox News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.

Government Arguments and Access Restoration

In court filings earlier in the week, the U.S. Department of Justice argued that the outlets' reporting threatened national security, citing articles concerning missile stockpiles, White House ballroom construction, and a recent Republican midterm convention. However, following the judge's ruling, the director of White House Operations stated in a court filing that press passes and confiscated badges were restored by 9:45 a.m. Thursday. Following this action, the emergency hearing was canceled, and all three outlets confirmed their return to the White House grounds.

The standoff temporarily restricted television coverage during White House events, including President Trump's reception of Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of a state dinner. While access for the affected outlets has been restored, several major networks that previously pulled out of coverage in solidarity, including Fox News, NBC, CBS, and ABC, have not yet confirmed when they will resume broadcasting from the White House.