Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were allowed back into the White House on Thursday after a federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke the three news organizations’ access.
The reporters initially remained barred Thursday morning despite U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issuing a temporary restraining order restoring their credentials for 14 days while their legal challenge proceeds. Kelly ordered the administration to provide a written explanation after reporters were turned away. By Thursday afternoon, journalists from all three organizations had regained access.
In a court filing, White House press operations director Micah Stopperich said her team was instructed shortly after 7 a.m. to reactivate the affected reporters’ hard passes. According to the filing, the Secret Service confirmed shortly after 9 a.m. that the credentials had been restored, and the passes were subsequently delivered to the White House entry gate.
Trump announced the ban the previous Friday, accusing CNN, MS NOW and Politico of repeatedly producing what he called “fake news.” The president later said the decision was based on what he characterized as years of negative coverage rather than any single report. The White House subsequently accused the outlets of publishing sensitive security information and misinformation and argued that the restrictions involved national security concerns.
Kelly found that the news organizations were likely to succeed on at least part of their legal challenge, particularly their argument that the credentials had been revoked without due process. The judge noted that the outlets had not received notice or an opportunity to respond before their passes were withdrawn and said the administration had provided limited evidence supporting its national security justification.
The three organizations have argued in court that the ban amounted to retaliation over their reporting and could have a chilling effect on other journalists. Attorney Ted Boutrous, representing the outlets, described the ruling as a victory for press freedom, due process and the rule of law. The temporary order restores access while the broader lawsuit over the White House restrictions continues.
