A United States federal judge has indefinitely blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing its ban on journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico at the White House while their lawsuit against the restrictions proceeds.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday, ruling that the three media organisations were likely to succeed in their claims that the ban violated their constitutional rights to free speech and due process.
The ruling preserves the journalists’ access to the White House as the legal dispute continues.
Trump announced the ban on September 18, accusing the outlets of publishing what he described as fake news. The affected organisations subsequently challenged the decision, arguing that the restrictions were retaliation for reporting critical of his administration.
The judge said the administration had not provided adequate notice before revoking the journalists’ press credentials and questioned its subsequent reliance on national security concerns to justify the restrictions.
Kelly also found that the administration had not presented sufficient evidence to show that the ban was initially based on national security grounds.
The White House had argued that the affected journalists violated professional standards and published reports that raised national security concerns.
However, the judge said the administration’s explanations appeared to conflate concerns about the outlets’ reporting with national security issues.
The three media organisations had argued that the ban prevented their journalists from covering White House activities on the same terms as other reporters and could discourage critical reporting.
Their lawyer, Theodore Boutrous, welcomed the ruling, saying the court was right to block the administration from enforcing the restrictions.
The latest decision follows an earlier temporary order restoring the journalists’ access while the court considered the lawsuit.
The case is part of a wider dispute between Trump and media organisations over press access and coverage of his administration.
The preliminary injunction will remain in place while the case proceeds, subject to any further court orders or successful appeal.
