A federal judge halted President Donald Trump's ban blocking three major media outlets from reporting at the White House.In a ruling, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, issued a temporary restraining order to reinstate press passes for reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, after Trump announced on Sept. 18 that he was banning them from the White House. Trump said later in the day that he was frustrated by “cumulative stories over the last few years” from what he described as the “fake news.”
Kelly blocked officials from enforcing the ban for 14 days. The judge rejected the government's assertion that the ban was motivated by national security concerns.
The
news outlets sued after their reporters were denied White House entry on Sept. 19, arguing that Trump violated their constitutional rights to free speech and to a fair process before losing White House access. While the ban blocks the reporters' ability to access the White House in person, it doesn't prevent them from continuing to report on the president.
Kelly's ruling is only temporary, deciding what should happen now while litigation over the ban continues.
USA TODAY is one of dozens of news organizations that signed a legal brief supporting the media outlets' effort to halt the ban.
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.
A lawyer for the media outlets, Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr., characterized that argument at a Sept. 23 hearing as a pretense, noting that Trump's initial announcement didn't raise that concern.
It's not the first time Kelly has overseen a lawsuit dealing with Trump administration efforts to ban a reporter from the White House. In 2018, he ordered the White House to restore then-CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s press badge, after it was revoked following a contentious exchange with Trump at a news conference.
Kelly ruled in that case that the administration hadn't given Acosta a proper chance to be heard over whether he did something that meant he could lose his press pass.
Trump had said on social media that the three outlets "shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES," and Justice Department lawyers had sought to justify the ban on national security grounds.
The three outlets sued Trump and other members of his administration in federal court in Washington on Sept. 21, saying the ban violated the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press, as well as their due process rights. They requested a temporary restraining order that would immediately reinstate their White House access while their legal challenge plays out.
The legal battle has unfolded just weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections in which Trump's fellow Republicans are fighting to retain control of Congress. Trump's job approval ratings are at record lows in opinion polls amid concerns over issues such as the Iran war and inflation.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Judge temporarily blocks Trump ban on CNN, MS NOW, Politico
