WASHINGTON: A US federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from restricting White House access to three major news organisations — CNN, MS NOW and Politico — ruling that the outlets met the legal threshold for a temporary restraining order.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued the 14-day order shortly after midnight on Thursday, directing the administration to restore the media organisations’ access while the court examines the case further.
The ruling comes amid an escalating dispute between President Donald Trump and news organisations over coverage he has criticised as unfavourable. Trump had announced on September 18 that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House, accusing the outlets of spreading what he described as “fake news”.
The three media organisations challenged the restrictions in court, arguing that they had been targeted because of the content of their reporting and that the administration’s action violated protections under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Judge Kelly said the plaintiffs had demonstrated that they were likely to succeed on the merits of their case and could suffer irreparable harm without immediate court intervention.
“Although this is a demanding standard, plaintiffs have satisfied it,” Kelly said in his order.
The judge had heard arguments in the case on Wednesday but initially concluded the hearing without issuing a ruling. During the proceedings, he questioned whether the administration had fulfilled its legal obligations before restricting access and whether the affected media organisations had been given adequate opportunity to respond.
The case also involves earlier court rulings concerning press access to the White House. Those decisions, including one that reached the US Supreme Court, held that journalists should generally be given an opportunity to contest the withdrawal of their press access.
The Justice Department, however, argued that the earlier rulings were wrongly decided. Government lawyer Michael Welchiсk maintained that access to the White House should be treated as a privilege rather than an enforceable right.
Kelly said he would nevertheless consider the earlier First Amendment rulings while deciding the case, even though the government disagrees with those decisions.
The latest dispute began after Trump posted on Truth Social on September 18 accusing the three outlets of publishing “fake news” and announcing their immediate exclusion from the White House. Their press credentials were revoked the following day.
The news organisations subsequently joined forces to challenge the restrictions in federal court. The temporary order will remain in effect for 14 days as the court considers the broader constitutional and legal questions surrounding the administration’s decision.
