CNN, MS NOW and Politico regain White House access after judge blocks Trump ban

Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico regained access to the White House on Thursday after a federal judge temporarily blocked Donald Trump’s ban on the three news organizations and ordered their press credentials restored.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order early Sept. 24, 2026, directing the Trump administration to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” the outlets’ access. The order prevents the administration from enforcing the ban for 14 days while the lawsuit proceeds.

Kelly said the news organizations had met the legal requirements for emergency relief and were likely to succeed in showing that their White House press credentials were revoked without constitutionally adequate due process.

“This is a high bar, but Plaintiffs have met it,” Kelly wrote.

The judge said existing federal appeals court precedent requires journalists to receive notice and a meaningful opportunity to respond before established White House credentials can be revoked. He also criticized standards outlined by the administration for determining what reporting could result in loss of access, describing them as too vague.

Kelly also rejected, at least at this stage of the case, the Justice Department’s argument that the restrictions were necessary to protect national security.

“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,” Kelly wrote.

The Justice Department had argued that reports by the three organizations involving the Iran war and White House construction raised security concerns. Kelly noted that Trump initially announced the ban by criticizing what he described as false and negative coverage rather than citing national security.

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The ruling does not resolve the lawsuit or permanently prevent the White House from taking action against journalists. A temporary restraining order is designed to preserve access while the court considers the broader constitutional claims.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued the administration Sept. 21, 2026, alleging that the ban amounted to retaliation based on their reporting in violation of the First Amendment and that the administration violated Fifth Amendment due process protections when it revoked credentials without advance notice or an opportunity to challenge the decision.

“This is a strong ruling vindicating freedom of the press, due process and the rule of law,” Theodore Boutrous Jr., an attorney representing the organizations, said after the decision. “We greatly appreciate the court’s swift action.”

The restoration of access was not immediate in practice.

Reporters from the three organizations attempted to enter the White House Thursday morning but were initially turned away despite Kelly’s order. The organizations returned to court seeking an emergency hearing, saying some credentials remained disabled or had been confiscated.

The White House later told the court that it began reinstating the affected credentials at 7:25 a.m. and delivered replacement badges to an entrance around 9:55 a.m. Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were back inside the White House by early afternoon. Kelly subsequently declined to hold the requested emergency hearing.

Trump announced the ban Sept. 18, 2026, saying CNN, MS NOW and Politico should not be permitted to cover the White House because of reporting he characterized as false. The outlets’ journalists were denied entry beginning the following day.

The dispute also disrupted television coverage of the president. CNN had been scheduled to provide White House television pool coverage during Trump’s trip to New York, New York, for the United Nations General Assembly, but was prevented from carrying out the assignment. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC subsequently suspended primary television pool coverage rather than replace CNN in the rotation.

Kelly was appointed to the federal bench by Trump in 2017. He also handled a 2018 dispute involving CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, ordering the White House during Trump’s first term to temporarily restore Acosta’s press credentials after they were revoked.