A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the White House to continue permitting reporters from CNN, MS Now and Politico to enter the building while a lawsuit brought by a coalition of media organizations against the Trump administration is litigated.
Judge Timothy Kelly had previously granted a 14‑day reprieve for the three news organizations on 24 September. The temporary measure followed an earlier decision by the president in September to bar the outlets from White House grounds, a move justified in a White House statement as a response to their “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS.”
Background
The latest order preserves the status quo while the courts consider the media coalition’s legal challenge to the ban. The coalition filed suit seeking to restore access and to have the administration’s actions reviewed by a federal court as the litigation proceeds.
The judge’s decision keeps the outlets’ credentials in place for now, ensuring their journalists may continue to perform reporting duties from inside the White House as the legal process unfolds. The court will next address the parties’ arguments on the merits of the case in subsequent proceedings.
The White House and the news organizations did not immediately provide further comment on Tuesday. The case highlights an uncommon confrontation between the administration and multiple national news outlets over access to presidential coverage.