USA · updated 16m ago · 3 min read
Judge Timothy Kelly Orders Trump Administration To Reinstate CNN, MS NOW, Politico Access For 14 Days
Judge Timothy Kelly ordered immediate 14-day reinstatement of CNN, MS NOW, Politico White House access. Administration barred them without due process according to judge; likely unconstitutional.
Judge orders Trump to restore passes; rejects national security justification.
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“The judge rejected the government's assertion that the ban was motivated by national security concerns.”Read the original ↗
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“pushing for a broad expansion of the president's ability to determine which reporters”Read the original ↗
Al Jazeera/US outlets foreground the unconstitutional impulse; ABC stresses DOJ and security rationale first.
Kelly orders 14-day access
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately restore White House access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico for 14 days, after the judge found the ban likely violated constitutional due process rights. Judge Timothy Kelly rejected the government’s national security justification and said the record lacked factual support that revoking the outlets’ “hard passes” would protect national security or that national security would be endangered while litigation proceeds. The ruling required the Secret Service to allow the journalists entry for an initial period of 14 days, and it temporarily blocked enforcement of the White House ban that had revoked access passes for the three outlets.
“The decision requires the Secret Service to allow these professionals entry for an initial period of 14 days.”
The dispute began after President Donald Trump announced a ban on September 18, accusing the outlets of publishing “fake news” and of providing hostile coverage of his administration, and the journalists were turned away at White House entrances the next day. The administration argued that access to the presidential complex is a privilege, not a right, while the outlets argued the ban violated the First Amendment and the due process guarantees in the Fifth Amendment.
Turned away despite order
Reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were still denied entry hours after Judge Kelly’s order, and some passes were confiscated at White House entrances. MS NOW reporter Laura Barrón-López and a producer were denied at the entrances and their passes were confiscated, while another producer for the network was able to enter, according to the network itself. CNN said some of its reporters were denied while others were allowed in, and Politico said a reporter was turned away and had his press credential taken away.
The White House press office accused the outlets of “peddling verifiable falsehoods about national security and other topics, and publishing sensitive or classified information,” and the Department of Justice argued that access is a privilege, not a right. The BBC reported that it was unclear whether all reporters would be readmitted early on Thursday morning, and the White House had not commented on the ruling.
Press freedom and next steps
The judge’s order set a temporary window while the case continued, and the ruling remained in place for 14 days while Kelly weighed longer-lasting relief. The outlets’ lawyers argued the ban amounted to unconstitutional retaliation for coverage of Trump and violated the Due Process Clause because reporters did not receive notice or an opportunity to respond. The Department of Justice defended the measure by arguing that CNN, MS NOW, and Politico endangered national security through their reporting and that Trump has the right to determine who may access the White House.
The BBC quoted Judge Kelly saying the president made no mention of national security in his initial announcement, and the court said the record lacked direct knowledge from defense department officials about how reporters operate in the White House. The dispute also triggered solidarity actions, with major networks pulling out of White House pool duties in protest, and the White House Correspondents Association president Jacqui Heinrich calling for Trump to drop the approach that could be applied to any outlet in the future.