By Paul Joseph
A federal judge in Washington, DC, has ordered the administration of President Donald Trump to immediately restore White House access to three news organisations whose reporters were barred from the building last week.
The temporary restraining order requires the White House to reinstate access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico for 14 days while their legal challenge against the ban proceeds.
Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that the three media organisations were likely to establish that the Trump administration failed to provide adequate due process before revoking their White House access.
The affected outlets had gone to court after their reporters had their White House hard passes confiscated and were subsequently denied access to the premises.
The Trump administration defended the restrictions, accusing the organisations of publishing false information and arguing that the measures were necessary on national security grounds.
The court, however, expressed doubts about that justification, noting that Trump did not cite national security as the reason for the restrictions when the ban was initially announced.
Judge Kelly said the government had not presented sufficient factual evidence to demonstrate that revoking the journalists’ hard passes would protect national security or that restoring their access during the legal proceedings would endanger it.
The administration had pointed to several reports published by the affected outlets, including stories concerning construction work at the White House and plans for a new ballroom.
But the judge found weaknesses in the government’s argument, noting that in most cases the journalists who produced the reports did not themselves hold White House hard passes.
The court also questioned the administration’s reliance on declarations from Department of Defence officials, observing that the officials cited did not have direct knowledge of how journalists operate inside the White House or the specific circumstances surrounding the disputed reports.
Reacting to the ruling, Ted Boutrous, the lawyer representing the media organisations, described the decision as a major defence of press freedom, due process and the rule of law.
The legal battle comes amid an escalating confrontation between Trump and sections of the American media.
Major US television networks recently withdrew from White House press-pool duties in protest against the restrictions. The White House press pool allows participating media organisations to share coverage of presidential events, reducing costs and logistical demands while ensuring the public receives access to presidential activities.
Meanwhile, 49 media organisations, including CBS News, The New York Times and Fox News, filed a legal brief supporting the lawsuit brought by CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
Trump has repeatedly criticised several news organisations, while his administration has pursued legal action against outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the BBC.
Some of those legal disputes have ended in multimillion-dollar settlements, while Trump’s lawsuit against the BBC remains ongoing.
The latest ruling does not finally determine the broader legal dispute. Instead, it temporarily restores the affected organisations’ access while the court considers the issues raised in their lawsuit.
The decision nevertheless represents a significant legal setback for the administration’s immediate effort to restrict the three outlets from accessing the White House.
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