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On September 24, U.S. District Judge Tim Kelly ordered President Donald Trump to restore White House access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, rejecting the claim that the media ban was necessary for national security. The judge cited lack of factual support for these claims and noted that Trump himself had suggested the ban was due to the outlets’ reporting being untruthful or negative. This ruling is part of a lawsuit filed by the news organizations on September 21, arguing that the ban violates First Amendment rights and their right to due process. The White House did not immediately respond to the decision.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 25, US TV networks resumed coverage of President Donald Trump’s events at the White House after a judge ordered the administration to lift its ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. The ban was imposed last week due to what Trump described as unfavorable press coverage. Despite the reinstatement, tensions remain high; the networks ceased filming White House events in solidarity with banned outlets earlier in the week, resulting in no pool footage during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit on September 24-25. The court battle continues, and CNN was barred from traveling with Trump to Tennessee for a weekend trip, though reasons were not officially provided by the administration.
Written for “White House Press Access Controversy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 182 other(s) covering the same event.
Judge blocks Trump’s White House media ban, orders access to be restored
AI generated
WASHINGTON – A federal judge ordered US President Donald Trump on Sept 24 to restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, saying his ban on the three media outlets was likely unconstitutional.
In a major setback for Trump in one of his biggest battles with the media, US District Judge Tim Kelly issued his order in a lawsuit, which the news organisations filed contesting the ban that the Republican president announced on Sept 18.
asserted
president → block → Sept
Kelly ordered the Trump administration to immediately return the outlets’ press passes and blocked officials from enforcing the ban for 14 days.
asserted
Kelly → order → days
The judge rejected the government’s assertion that the ban was motivated by national security concerns.
asserted
ban → reject → concerns
“The record lacks factual support for defendants’ contention that the revocation of plaintiffs’ hard passes will in fact protect national security or that national security will be endangered if the court orders their passes reinstated while this litigation proceeds,” he said.
asserted
he → lack → security
Kelly added that Trump himself had stated the ban was due to “alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity” of the outlets’ reporting.
asserted
ban → add → reporting
The White House and representatives for the outlets did not immeidately respond to requests for comment.
asserted
House → respond → comment
Trump had said on social media that the three outlets “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report fiction and lies”, and Justice Department lawyers had sought to justify the ban on national security grounds.
asserted
lawyers → say → grounds
The three outlets sued Trump and other members of his administration in federal court in Washington on Sept 21, saying the ban violated the US Constitution's First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press, as well as their due-process rights.
asserted
ban → sue → speech
They requested a temporary restraining order that would immediately reinstate their White House access while their legal challenge plays out.
asserted
challenge → request → access
The legal battle has unfolded just weeks before the Nov 3 mid-term elections in which Trump’s fellow Republicans are fighting to retain control of Congress.
asserted
Republicans → unfold → Congress
Kelly said at a hearing on Sept 23 that two precedents from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit made clear that journalists are entitled to due process before their White House press passes can be revoked.
asserted
passes → say → process
The judge added that it did not appear that the White House had given the targeted news outlets a meaningful opportunity to contest the revocation of their access.
asserted
House → add → access
A lawyer for the news outlets told Kelly that they were banned without legally required advance notice or opportunity to contest the decisions, which he said were unprecedented, unreasonable and severe punishments.
asserted
he → tell → decisions
A Justice Department lawyer told the judge the Trump administration provided a sufficient explanation for the revocation of the press passes in letters sent to the news outlets on Sept 22.
asserted
administration → tell → Sept
But the judge signalled scepticism of that argument, noting that the letters were sent after the revocation occurred and the lawsuit was filed.
asserted
lawsuit → signal → argument
In a legal filing on Sept 22, the Justice Department argued that access to the White House is a privilege, not an entitlement, and that the president has the authority to suspend access by news organisations.
asserted
president → argue → organisations
A coalition of press freedom groups and dozens of news organisations filed a legal brief on Sept 23 supporting the three news outlets.
asserted
coalition → file → outlets
They asserted that “stripping journalists and news outlets of their rights because of perceived editorial viewpoint violates decades of Supreme Court jurisprudence”.
asserted
stripping → assert → jurisprudence
The brief was signed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Reuters, the Washington Post and Fox News, among others.
asserted
brief → sign → others
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