U.S.
White House restores three outlets' access after court order
The outlets were turned away earlier Thursday despite the temporary order. The ruling addresses the process used to revoke their passes; the broader lawsuit continues.
Executive summary
- The order: U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly directed White House officials to restore press passes held by CNN, MS NOW and Politico employees for 14 days.[1][2]
- The basis: The judge found the outlets likely to succeed on a Fifth Amendment procedural due-process claim because credentials were revoked without prior notice, a chance to respond or clear standards.[1]
- The delay: Reporters from the three outlets were initially denied entry after the order, then regained access around midday Thursday, according to CBS News.[3]
- What remains: The temporary order does not decide the outlets' First Amendment claims or permanently resolve the dispute. The court plans expedited briefing on longer-lasting relief.[1]
Reporters for CNN, MS NOW and Politico were allowed back onto the White House grounds Thursday after a federal judge ordered officials to restore press credentials revoked following President Donald Trump's September 18 ban. The access restoration came after a delay: journalists were turned away earlier in the day despite the court order, then began entering around noon, CBS News reported.[1][3]
In an eight-page temporary restraining order, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly found the outlets likely to succeed on their Fifth Amendment procedural due-process claim. The court said the passes were revoked without prior notice or an opportunity to be heard and without sufficiently clear, pre-existing standards for conduct that could lead to revocation. That is a preliminary assessment for temporary relief, not a final judgment on every claim in the case.[1][2]
The administration argued that the restrictions protected national security. Kelly called national security a weighty interest but said the record offered little factual support that removing these reporters' passes would protect it. The order directs officials other than the president, and people acting with them, to restore the affected hard passes immediately. It remains in effect for 14 days while the court sets expedited briefing on a possible preliminary injunction.[1]
The three outlets sued after their reporters lost White House access. The Associated Press reported that the case also raises First Amendment objections to the ban. Kelly's temporary order rests at least on the due-process issue; it does not permanently settle the constitutional dispute. CBS reported that footage and the outlets' own accounts confirmed reporters from all three organizations eventually regained entry Thursday.[1][2][3]