A federal judge told the Trump administration to put its White House media ban on ice for two weeks. The order from Judge Timothy J. Kelly came early Thursday and stated that an accelerated briefing would be set by the court regarding a request for a preliminary injunction. The government did not provide a prompt reply to inquiries seeking comment.
The dispute began Sept. 18, when President Donald Trump said on social media that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred and warned that other outlets could soon be excluded as well.
Despite the order, the publications reported fresh obstacles within hours. Politico reported that one of its journalists was denied entry on Thursday morning and had a credential confiscated. A Secret Service agent, they said, suggested the reporter could be admitted using a one-day pass in place of a permanent credential. CNN and MS NOW also said they were blocked from the White House grounds.
Kelly said the outlets cleared a high threshold by showing they are likely to prevail, pointing to due-process defects, broader constitutional concerns, and the public interest. He wrote that the administration had provided little to support its stated national-security justification and added that Trump, when announcing the ban, emphasized what he described as the outlets' lack of truthfulness and negativity. The judge did not reach the question of whether the plaintiffs are also likely to win on their broader First Amendment claim.
In their lawsuit, CNN, MS NOW and Politico argue the ban unlawfully retaliates against their coverage and discriminates based on viewpoint. They also contend the move violated the Fifth Amendment because the White House did not set clear standards or provide a chance to contest the decision beforehand. The letters provided to the court explained the revocations and gave the outlets until Friday to challenge them.
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The temporary order lasts two weeks while the court considers longer term relief on a fast track.
Titled Cable News Network v. Trump, 26-cv-3287, the lawsuit is pending in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. For your wallet, this is a reminder that rule of law questions can spill into markets and policy. The near term takeaway: keep an eye on whether press access normalizes or if newsrooms keep reporting from outside the fence.
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