A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately restore White House access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, ruling that the outlets’ press credentials were revoked without proper legal process.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued the temporary restraining order early Thursday, finding that the administration stripped the reporters of their hard passes without “constitutionally adequate due process.” The order requires the White House to reinstate the outlets’ access for 14 days while the case proceeds.
Kelly also rejected the administration’s claim that national security concerns justified the ban, noting that the government’s own record undermined that argument. He pointed out that when President Donald Trump first announced the ban in a social media post, he cited the outlets’ “FAKE NEWS” reporting rather than any security threat. National security was only raised as a justification after the outlets sued, the judge noted, calling the timeline suspicious.
Trump had announced the ban last week, saying he was removing the three outlets “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” and warning that other outlets could follow. The affected news organizations sued shortly after, arguing the move violated due process and was driven by the president’s hostility toward their coverage rather than any legitimate security rationale.
Justice Department attorneys defended the ban in a Wednesday hearing, arguing Trump has broad authority over who can access the White House and that the outlets’ reporting had endangered national security. But Ted Boutrous, the attorney representing the outlets, told the court that national security only entered the administration’s justification after the lawsuit was filed, suggesting it was invoked to retroactively defend a decision already made.
Kelly agreed the outlets were not given notice or a chance to respond before their credentials were pulled, and found the “standards” the administration later cited too vague to hold up. He also noted that one CNN report the administration flagged as a security risk had been published months before the reporter’s press pass was even renewed.
The judge said the outlets were likely to succeed on their due process claim and would suffer irreparable harm without intervention, adding that reinstating their access served the public interest given the media’s role as an intermediary between government and citizens.
Kelly’s ruling cannot be immediately appealed. He has set up a process over the next two weeks for both sides to submit further arguments and evidence before issuing a fuller opinion.
The White House and Justice Department have not responded to requests for comment.
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