Stories
Judge Blocks Trump's White House Ban on CNN, Other Top Media Outlets
- •A US federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore White House access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, ruling the ban likely unconstitutional.
- •The ban, imposed by Donald Trump on September 18, was criticized by the outlets as a "blatant violation" of the First Amendment.
- •The Justice Department defended the ban on national security grounds, while Trump accused the outlets of publishing "FICTION and LIES."
- •The dispute escalated after reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico had their White House access revoked and press badges deactivated.
- •Other news organizations, including the TV pool and The Associated Press, took solidarity actions, suspending coverage or not publishing photos of presidential events.
Key Questions Answered
US District Judge Tim Kelly ordered the Trump administration to restore White House access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, ruling that the ban was likely unconstitutional. The judge noted that the affected news organizations and their reporters may not have been afforded proper due process before their press credentials were revoked.
In response to the ban, the White House television pool suspended its coverage of presidential events indefinitely without replacement coverage. Other major news organizations, including The Associated Press, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, also joined in solidarity by deciding not to publish photographs of presidential events.
The Justice Department initially sought to defend the administration's action on national security grounds. Additionally, the administration maintained that White House access was not guaranteed, arguing in a filing that the outlets had violated standards of professionalism and decorum by trafficking in verifiable falsehoods.
