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A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to continue allowing journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico access to the White House while a lawsuit challenging their press ban proceeds.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly granted the outlets’ request for a preliminary injunction, extending earlier court-ordered protections that restored their White House press credentials.
The administration “shall not execute, implement or enforce the Sept. 18, 2026 decision to revoke the White House ‘hard pass’ press credentials held by employees of CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO,” Kelly’s order said.
The ruling preserves “the status quo since the Court’s entry of a temporary restraining order on September 24, 2026,” according to the order.
Kelly said the three outlets were “likely to succeed not only on their due process claim but also on their two First Amendment claims.”
“The Court will extend the relief it already ordered, which will continue to preserve the status quo while this case proceeds,” Kelly wrote in an opinion accompanying Tuesday’s order.
The First Amendment protects freedom of the press, while the Fifth Amendment includes due process protections.
“President Trump likely banned Plaintiffs from the White House because he believes that their reporting is generally inaccurate and biased against him,” Kelly wrote.
President Donald Trump announced on Sept. 18 that journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House, accusing the outlets of spreading “fake news” and publishing “fiction and lies.”
Three days later, the outlets filed a joint lawsuit challenging the ban, arguing that it violated their First and Fifth Amendment rights.
Kelly later issued a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to restore the journalists’ White House press badges. That temporary order had been set to expire Tuesday.
Trump has repeatedly criticized media outlets over coverage he considers unfavorable and has described the press as the “enemy of the people.”
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