Judge Orders White House to Restore Access to Banned News Outlets

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2026 — Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico returned to the White House on Thursday after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore their press access, temporarily blocking a ban imposed by President Donald Trump.

The reporters had been barred from the White House after Trump accused the three news organizations of publishing what he described as false and misleading coverage. The administration later argued that some of the reporting raised national security concerns.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to immediately reinstate the journalists’ hard pass credentials. The order is in effect for 14 days while the broader legal dispute continues.

Kelly said the three organizations had established that they were likely to succeed in showing that their press credentials had been revoked without constitutionally adequate due process.

The judge also questioned the administration’s national security justification for the ban, saying the evidence presented to the court did not indicate that national security concerns were the actual reason for removing the journalists’ access.

The ruling came after CNN, MS NOW and Politico challenged the administration’s decision in federal court, arguing that the restrictions violated constitutional protections for freedom of the press.

The dispute intensified Thursday morning when reporters from the three organizations initially remained outside the White House despite the court order.

Some journalists said their credentials had been confiscated by Secret Service personnel as they attempted to enter the White House grounds. The news organizations subsequently asked the court for an immediate hearing, arguing that the administration was failing to implement the judge’s order.

The White House later said access had been restored and that the journalists could collect their credentials at the press gate.

The temporary disruption came as Washington prepared for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the White House, adding significance to the dispute over access to the presidential complex.

The administration has maintained that access to restricted areas of the White House is a privilege rather than an automatic right. Government lawyers argued in court that the president has authority to determine which reporters can enter restricted presidential areas.

Lawyers representing the three news organizations disputed that position, arguing that the administration had targeted the outlets because of their reporting and had not provided adequate procedures before taking away their permanent press credentials.

The conflict has also affected the White House television press pool. Several major U.S. television networks suspended their participation in pooled coverage in solidarity with the banned organizations, creating an unusual disruption in the traditional system through which broadcasters share video and other coverage of presidential events.

The press pool normally allows one participating organization to provide coverage that can be distributed to other broadcasters, particularly when physical space or security restrictions prevent every newsroom from sending its own crew.

The dispute has therefore extended beyond the three organizations directly affected by the ban, raising broader questions about how White House press access should be managed and whether journalists can be excluded because of disagreements over their reporting.

The case is part of a wider series of legal disputes between Trump and news organizations during his presidency. Trump has repeatedly criticized media outlets whose reporting he considers unfair and has pursued legal action against several organizations.

In another case decided this week, an Iowa judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by Trump against the Des Moines Register and a former pollster over coverage of the 2024 presidential election.

Iowa District Judge Scott J. Beattie rejected Trump’s claims that the newspaper’s polling coverage violated the state’s consumer fraud law. The judge warned that allowing the case to proceed could discourage journalists and members of the public from reporting on and debating political issues.

The White House has said it intends to appeal that ruling.

Meanwhile, other legal battles involving Trump’s relationship with the media remain active, including a multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuit against the BBC and a separate lawsuit involving the Wall Street Journal over reporting concerning Trump’s past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

The White House press-access case is expected to continue beyond the temporary 14-day order. The latest ruling does not finally determine whether the administration can restrict access to the three organizations under different procedures or circumstances.

For now, however, the court order requires CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists to have their White House access restored, temporarily ending the immediate confrontation at the gates of the presidential complex.

Courtesy: CBC