News outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico will regain access —temporarily — to the White House after a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s ban.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Trump appointed, issued a 14-day temporary restraining orderearly Sept. 24 requiring the administration to restore the reporters’ press credentials while legal challenges continue.
Kelly found that the outlets were likely to succeed on their claim that the administration revoked their access without due process. He also rejected the government’s argument that national security concerns justified the ban.
Trump announced the restrictions Sept. 18. After reporters were turned away from the White House the following day, the organizations sued, arguing that the administration
had violated their free speech and due process rights.
The administration has maintained that White House access is a privilege, not a right. In court filings, government attorneys argued that the outlets’ reporting on classified and sensitive information posed national security risks, USA TODAY reported.
The restrictions barred the organizations’ journalists from entering the White House grounds but did not prevent them from reporting on Trump and his administration.
The order does do not resolve the broader legal challenge to the ban but only allows access as it continues to be litigated.
The Trump administration has argued in court that access to the White House is a privilege, not a right, and that the targeted outlets pose national security risks because of their reporting on classified and sensitive information, USA TODAY reported.
Trump lashed out at a CNN reporter and other news outlets in a Sept. 22 Truth Social post,accusing them of having a “Trump addiction.”
“They’re all sick, treasonous, and demented!” he wrote.
USA TODAY contributed to this story.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on X, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Judge blocks Trump media ban. But for how long?
