Published : 25 Sep 2026, 12:51 AM
Updated : 25 Sep 2026, 12:51 AM
The White House has said it has reinstated journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico after a federal judge deemed US President Donald Trump's ban on the three news outlets likely unconstitutional and ordered their access immediately restored.
The reinstatement came after a chaotic few hours in which journalists from the three organisations remained blocked from entering the White House grounds. The news organisations then requested an emergency hearing before US District Judge Tim Kelly, who had issued his decision overnight.
Kelly ordered a 14-day halt to Trump's ban in a press freedom case brought by CNN, MS NOW and Politico. He found that revoking the journalists' White House credentials had "likely violated their constitutional due process rights".
The judge also questioned the Justice Department's national security arguments for the ban, noting that Trump had said the action was prompted by what he considered false or negative coverage.
Hours after the ruling, the three outlets told the judge they remained barred. Politico said its reporter's credentials had been confiscated, while MS NOW said its reporter was blocked. CNN also said some staff members were denied entry.
White House press operations director Micah Stopperich said in a court filing that the administration began reinstating the affected press badges at 7:25am and left them at the entry gate for journalists to collect around 9:55am.
After receiving the filing, Kelly denied the outlets' request for an emergency hearing but allowed them to report any further developments.
The dispute came as Trump attended the UN General Assembly in New York and hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House.
It was unclear whether the White House television press pool would resume coverage after CNN regained access. The pool had suspended coverage earlier in the week in solidarity with CNN.
There were no television pool cameras for Xi's arrival at the White House on Thursday morning, while FOX News, MS NOW and CNN did not broadcast the leaders' arrival ceremony live.
National Security Concerns
Trump announced the ban on Friday, accusing the three outlets of reporting "Fiction and Lies" about him and framing their coverage as a national security concern.
The three organisations sued Trump and members of his administration, arguing that the ban violated First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press, as well as due process rights. Press freedom groups and dozens of news organisations, including Reuters, later filed a legal brief supporting them.
Kelly ordered the administration to restore the outlets' press passes and stop enforcing the ban for two weeks. He rejected the administration's national security argument, saying the record lacked factual support for claims that removing the journalists' credentials would protect national security.
The Justice Department had argued that stories about US missile stockpiles, construction of Trump's White House ballroom and attendance at the Republican midterm convention threatened national security.
Tensions With the Press
The ruling came amid an escalating confrontation between Trump and the US media. The White House has restricted access for several major news organisations, while Trump has repeatedly criticised journalists and news outlets.
Kelly's decision followed another legal setback for Trump on Wednesday, when an Iowa judge dismissed his 2024 lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and pollster J Ann Selzer over a pre-election poll that showed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris leading him in Iowa.
