A federal judge in Washington ordered the Trump administration early Thursday to restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, declaring that the outlets’ removal from the White House press corps was likely unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order on September 24, 2026, directing officials to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” the journalists’ credentials — a sharp rebuke of the White House’s attempt to punish news organizations it accuses of hostile and dishonest coverage. Reuters first reported the details of the ruling, which landed just hours before President Donald Trump was scheduled to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House for a closely watched summit.
What the Judge Ordered
Kelly’s order requires the administration to immediately give back the three outlets’ White House access, returning the situation to how it stood before the ban was announced. The temporary restraining order lasts 14 days and cannot be immediately appealed, giving the news organizations breathing room while the wider legal fight continues.
In his decision, the judge concluded that the outlets had cleared the demanding legal standard required for emergency relief. He wrote that CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were likely to succeed in showing that their press passes had been revoked without constitutionally adequate due process, adding: “This is a high bar, but Plaintiffs have met it.” The Associated Press noted that the ruling effectively freezes any further enforcement of the ban for the next two weeks.
The Ban and the Lawsuit
The dispute began on September 18, when Trump announced on social media that he was banning the three outlets from the White House, declaring that they “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES.” Reporters from the three news organizations were turned away from White House grounds on September 19.
The outlets responded by suing Trump and other administration officials in federal court in Washington on Monday, September 21. Their lawsuit argued that the ban violated First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press, as well as the due process rights of the affected journalists. Judge Kelly heard arguments from both sides on Wednesday before issuing his ruling early Thursday, as CNN reported.
The White House’s National Security Argument
The Justice Department defended the ban by arguing that access to the White House is a privilege, not a right, and that the president has broad authority to decide which reporters may enter restricted presidential areas such as the Oval Office. The White House Press Office had separately accused CNN of “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security.”
Kelly rejected that justification. He found that the administration’s arguments “offer little to back up their asserted national security interest,” and observed that nothing in the record predating the lawsuit suggested the revocations were motivated by national security at all. “Certainly, that is not what President Trump said when he announced that he was ‘banning’ Plaintiffs from the White House — instead, he focused on the alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity of Plaintiffs’ reporting,” the judge wrote. USA Today highlighted that passage as the centerpiece of the court’s reasoning.
Why This Case Matters
The ruling carries extra weight because of who issued it. Kelly was nominated to the federal bench by Trump himself in 2017, and in 2018 he ordered the White House to restore the press badge of then-CNN reporter Jim Acosta after the administration revoked it. His decision to side against the administration a second time underscores how narrowly courts view attempts to exclude specific news organizations over the content of their reporting.
The case also arrives at a moment when Washington is crowded with high-stakes diplomacy. Just this week, world leaders and technology chiefs have been gathering for UN Security Council debates on AI safety, and Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping puts the White House under the global spotlight — making the presence of international wire services and cable news crews especially significant.
Legal analysts say the decision reinforces a long-standing principle: while the White House can set neutral ground rules for the press corps, it cannot single out outlets for punishment because the president dislikes their coverage. The due process finding is equally notable — the court signaled that press credentials cannot simply be stripped without fair procedures.
What Happens Next
Kelly’s order is temporary. It preserves the status quo for 14 days while the broader legal challenge plays out, meaning the outlets’ reporters can return to the White House immediately, but the underlying questions about presidential power over press access remain unresolved. The administration could seek further court action once the order expires, and the case may still head toward a full hearing on the merits.
In the meantime, the ruling has immediate, practical consequences. When Trump welcomes Xi Jinping amid a tense geopolitical backdrop on Thursday, journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico will be back in the briefing room and on the press riser — the same positions the White House tried to take away less than a week ago.
For press freedom advocates, Thursday’s decision is a significant — if provisional — victory. The message from the court is clear: the White House may control the building, but it cannot bar the press for reporting it does not like.
