US judge extends White House access for CNN, Politico and MS NOW journalists
A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to continue allowing journalists from CNN, Politico and MS NOW access to the White House, ruling that President Donald Trump's attempt to bar them likely violated the law.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a preliminary injunction on October 13, extending an emergency order he made on September 24 that temporarily restored the journalists' access.
The new order will remain in effect until the court reaches a final decision in the lawsuit, unless an appeals court intervenes.
Kelly found that Trump's public statements indicated he had banned the news organizations because he considered their reporting biased and inaccurate, rather than because of national security concerns later raised by government lawyers.
“Simply put, that is unlawful viewpoint discrimination,” the judge wrote.
He added that the ruling should not be interpreted as suggesting that Trump's complaints about the outlets were necessarily without merit.
Trump announced the ban in September, accusing CNN, Politico and MS NOW of publishing false reports about his administration.
The three organizations challenged the decision in federal court, arguing that revoking their White House credentials in retaliation for their reporting violated First Amendment protections for press freedom and their constitutional right to due process.
The Justice Department defended the restrictions, arguing that the outlets' conduct raised national security concerns.
During an October 8 hearing, a lawyer representing the news organizations said Trump had openly sought to discourage unfavorable reporting.
“He wants to coerce better coverage,” attorney Theodore Boutrous told the court.
Kelly, who was appointed to the federal bench by Trump in 2017, had previously ordered the administration to restore the journalists' access while the case proceeded.
The dispute comes ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.
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