A courtroom fight over White House media access took another turn Thursday, reshaping press arrangements as a major diplomatic event unfolded in Washington.
The White House restored access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico on Thursday after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to return their credentials, finding the ban likely violated constitutional due process protections.
The reinstatement followed confusion earlier in the day as journalists from the three organizations remained unable to enter White House grounds despite US District Judge Tim Kelly issuing his order overnight. The outlets sought an immediate hearing when access had not been restored.
Kelly, hearing a lawsuit filed Monday by CNN, MS NOW and Politico, temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s ban for 14 days. He concluded that withdrawing the journalists’ White House credentials likely infringed their due process rights.
The judge, appointed by Trump in 2017 during his first term, also questioned the administration’s national security justification. He noted Trump had publicly tied the restrictions to coverage he characterized as false or negative.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico later informed the court that their journalists were still being denied entry. Politico said a reporter’s credentials had been confiscated, MS NOW said one of its reporters was stopped from entering, and CNN reported some staff members were turned away.
White House press operations director Micah Stopperich said in a court filing that officials began reinstating affected badges at 7:25 a.m. and delivered badges to the entry gate around 9:55 a.m. Kelly rejected the request for an emergency hearing while allowing the organizations to report further developments.
Pool coverage dispute shadows diplomatic events
The confrontation unfolded as Trump attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York and hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
A source familiar with the White House television pool said its members would not resume coverage until CNN was formally returned to the pool. Members had earlier suspended pooled coverage in solidarity with CNN.
No television pool cameras covered Xi’s Thursday morning arrival on the White House South Lawn, while FOX News, MS NOW and CNN did not broadcast the arrival ceremony live. During the White House welcome, Trump joked to photographers in the Oval Office about the friendliness of the Chinese press corps.
CNN belongs to the five-member primary White House television pool alongside ABC, CBS, FOX News and NBC. The outlets rotate responsibility for organizing presidential coverage, share its costs and distribute footage to other organizations.
Trump announced the restrictions on Friday through social media, accusing the three organizations of publishing false reports and presenting their journalism as a national security concern.
The outlets sued Trump and administration officials, arguing that the restrictions breached First Amendment protections for speech and press freedoms as well as due process rights. Press freedom organizations and dozens of news outlets, including Reuters, later submitted a legal brief supporting them.
Kelly ordered the administration to restore the press passes immediately and suspend enforcement of the ban for two weeks. He found the record lacked factual support for the government’s assertion that removing the passes protected national security or that restoring them during litigation would endanger it.
The Justice Department had cited reporting about US missile stockpiles, construction of Trump’s White House ballroom and turnout at the recent Republican midterm convention when arguing Tuesday that the outlets posed national security concerns.
Attorney Theodore Boutrous welcomed the decision as a victory for press freedom, due process and the rule of law.
The ruling followed another court setback for Trump. On Wednesday, Iowa District Judge Scott Beattie dismissed his 2024 lawsuit against the Des Moines Register, parent company Gannett and pollster J. Ann Selzer over a pre-election poll showing Kamala Harris ahead in Iowa. Beattie ruled the poll was protected speech.
