DC Court Orders White House to Restore Access for CNN, MSNOW and Politico
- A District of Columbia judge ruled in favour of three news organisations after the Trump administration revoked their reporters' hard passes
- Judge Timothy Kelly found the White House likely failed to provide adequate due process when it barred the outlets
- Government lawyers cited articles about White House construction projects, including a ballroom, as justification for the bans
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WASHINGTON — A federal court in the District of Columbia has ordered the White House to reinstate press access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico after the Trump administration revoked hard passes belonging to reporters from all three outlets.
According to BBC News, Judge Timothy Kelly issued the ruling, finding that the three news organisations were likely to succeed in demonstrating that the White House had not followed adequate due process before imposing the bans. The decision directly challenged the administration's position that revoking the credentials was necessary on national security grounds.
Court rejects national security justification
Judge Kelly noted that the initial announcement of the bans made no mention of national security, undermining the argument raised later by government lawyers. The court also found that the record contained insufficient factual support to demonstrate that withdrawing press credentials served any security purpose, or that allowing temporary access would create a genuine risk.
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Lawyers representing the administration pointed to published articles about White House construction projects, including a ballroom, as evidence supporting the ban. Judge Kelly found the argument unconvincing, observing that most of the targeted articles had been written by journalists who did not hold hard passes, and that the administration could not establish a direct link between the credentials and the reporting in question. Declarations submitted by defence officials were also rejected on the grounds that those officials lacked direct knowledge of how White House reporting operations function.
Broad media industry support for the lawsuit
Forty-nine media organisations filed a legal brief backing the lawsuit, reflecting significant industry-wide concern about press access at the White House. Several major television networks also temporarily withdrew from shared pool duties in a show of solidarity during the dispute.
The case sits within a wider pattern of confrontation between President Donald Trump and the press. Trump has repeatedly attacked news organisations publicly and has pursued legal action against several outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the BBC.
The White House had not commented on Judge Kelly's ruling at the time of publication. Lawyers for the administration may file further appeals as the litigation continues.
Source: Getty Images
Donald Trump's White House speech inaudible
In a related article, Briefly News reported on Donald Trump’s largely inaudible speech at a White House helipad ribbon-cutting ceremony. Major television networks suspended press pool duties after several media outlets were denied access.
The resulting silence drew widespread amusement on social media, with users describing the incident as an apparent consequence of Trump’s decision to restrict press access. Videos of the ceremony circulated without usable audio, leaving viewers unable to hear the US President’s remarks.
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Source: Briefly News
