Reporters Still Barred From White House After Judge Rules Trump Media Ban Likely Unconstitutional

Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were still being turned away from the White House on Thursday morning, hours after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately restore their access and found they were likely to succeed on a constitutional due-process challenge.

US District Judge Timothy J. Kelly granted the three news organisations a 14-day temporary restraining order early Thursday, finding they were likely to succeed on their claim that their press credentials had been revoked without constitutionally adequate due process.

Kelly ordered the administration to 'immediately return, reinstate, and restore' the outlets' press credentials while their lawsuit continues. Yet journalists from each of the three organisations were still being denied entry several hours later.

Press Passes Still Not Working After Court Order

Politico said one of its reporters attempted to enter on Thursday morning but was denied access and had his permanent 'hard pass' confiscated.

CNN said some of its staff were also turned away, while MS NOW correspondent Laura Barrón-López reported that her badge was confiscated after a Secret Service agent told her it was 'still being disabled'.

Barrón-López said it was unclear whether the continued denial amounted to defiance of Kelly's order or reflected delays in the White House access system. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The timing was particularly significant because Chinese President Xi Jinping was visiting Washington on Thursday for a series of events with Trump, including ceremonies and meetings on the White House grounds.

Judge Questions National Security Explanation

Trump announced the ban on 18 September, saying CNN, MS NOW and Politico had repeatedly produced what he called 'FAKE NEWS' and negative coverage.

The administration later argued in court that reporting by the three outlets had created national security concerns and that White House access was 'a privilege, not a right'.

Kelly was unconvinced. 'The record lacks factual support' for the claim that revoking the passes would protect national security, he wrote.

The judge noted that Trump himself had initially justified the ban by attacking what he viewed as the outlets' lack of truthfulness and negative reporting rather than citing security concerns.

Kelly also criticised one standard the administration cited for revoking the passes, saying it was 'so vague it hardly does the trick'.

Outlets Say Ban Punished Unfavourable Coverage

CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued on Monday, arguing that the White House had singled them out because of their journalism in violation of the First Amendment and deprived them of due process by withdrawing access without adequate notice or a chance to challenge the decision.

Theodore Boutrous Jr., an attorney representing the outlets, called Thursday's order 'a strong ruling vindicating freedom of the press, due process and the rule of law'.

The dispute has also disrupted the wider White House press operation. ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC suspended their participation in pooled presidential video coverage after the White House removed CNN from its scheduled pool duty, while other news organisations temporarily withheld photographs or joined legal filings supporting the banned outlets.

Before Kelly issued the order, Trump said he would likely seek an appeal if the judge ruled against him. For now, Kelly's order requires the three organisations to have their White House access restored while the litigation proceeds, even as some of their journalists remained outside the gates hours after the judge issued it.