The Sydney Morning Herald
· collected 2026-09-24 · by Jack Queen, Jan Wolfe
Federal Judge Tim Kelly ordered President Donald Trump to restore White House access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico after they filed a lawsuit claiming their media ban was unconstitutional. The decision came on September 29, with Kelly rejecting national security concerns cited by the government and noting that Trump’s statements suggested the ban was based on perceived bias rather than security issues. The judge ruled to immediately return the outlets’ press passes and blocked enforcement of the ban for two weeks while the lawsuit proceeds.
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.
A federal judge ordered US President Donald Trump on Thursday to restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, saying his ban on the three media outlets was likely to be unconstitutional.
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ban → order → outlets
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 that the news organisations filed contesting the ban announced by the president on September 18.
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organisations → issue → September
Kelly ordered the Trump administration to immediately return the outlets’ press passes and blocked officials from enforcing the ban for 14 days.
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Kelly → order → days
The judge rejected the government’s assertion that the ban was motivated by national security concerns.
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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, adding that Trump himself had stated the ban was due to “alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity” of the outlets’ reporting.
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ban → lack → reporting
The White House and representatives for the outlets did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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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.
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lawyers → say → grounds
The three outlets sued Trump and other members of his administration in federal court in Washington, DC on Monday (Washington time), 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.
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ban → sue → speech
They requested a temporary restraining order that would immediately reinstate their White House access while their legal challenge plays out.
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challenge → request → access
The legal battle has unfolded just weeks before the November 3 midterm elections in which Trump’s fellow Republicans are fighting to retain control of Congress.
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Republicans → unfold → Congress
Kelly said at a Wednesday hearing that two precedents from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit made clear that journalists were entitled to due process before their White House press passes could be revoked.
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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.
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House → add → access
A lawyer for the news outlets told Kelly that they were banned without the legally required advance notice or opportunity to contest the decisions, which he said were unprecedented, unreasonable and severe punishments.
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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 Tuesday.
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administration → tell → Tuesday
But the judge signalled scepticism of that argument, noting that the letters were sent after the revocation occurred and the lawsuit was filed.
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lawsuit → signal → argument
In a legal filing on Tuesday, the Justice Department argued that access to the White House was a privilege, not an entitlement, and that the president had the authority to suspend access by news organisations.
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president → argue → organisations
A coalition of press freedom groups and dozens of news organisations filed a legal brief on Wednesday supporting the three news outlets.
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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”.
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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.
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brief → sign → others
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world.
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what → get → world
The Aporia
