Archive · 24 Sep 2026
Judge Orders Trump to Restore White House Media Access
A judge told President Donald Trump’s administration to let some reporters back into the White House.
The reporters work for CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
The judge said stopping these reporters from entering was unconstitutional.
The news organizations had challenged the ban in court.
The order was issued by US District Judge Tim Kelly.
The Justice Department said the restrictions were needed for national security.
Trump said the three outlets often publish what he called false stories.
The ruling is another court setback for the administration.
A US federal judge ordered Donald Trump’s administration to restore White House access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists.
US District Judge Tim Kelly called the ban on the three outlets unconstitutional.
The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by the news organizations challenging the ban.
Justice Department lawyers defended the restrictions on national security grounds.
Trump said the outlets should not be allowed to report what he called “fiction and lies.”
- Who
- US District Judge Tim Kelly ordered Donald Trump’s administration to restore access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
- What
- The judge lifted or invalidated the White House media-access ban affecting the three outlets.
- When
- The ruling was reported Wednesday night, and the lawsuit challenging the ban was filed on September 18.
- Where
- At the White House in the United States.
- Why
- The judge found the ban unconstitutional, while Justice Department lawyers argued that restrictions were justified on national security grounds.
Court and News Organizations
Trump Administration
White House media access
Court and News Organizations
Judge Tim Kelly ruled that barring journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico was unconstitutional and ordered their access restored.
Trump Administration
The Trump administration defended the restrictions through Justice Department lawyers, who cited national security grounds.
Reporting by the outlets
Court and News Organizations
The news organizations challenged the ban in court and sought continued access for their journalists.
Trump Administration
Trump said the outlets should not be allowed to continually report what he characterized as “fiction and lies.”
- Judge
- US District Judge Tim Kelly
- Affected outlets
- CNN, MS NOW and Politico
- Ruling
- White House access must be restored for journalists from the three outlets
- Legal assessment
- The ban was called unconstitutional
- Lawsuit
- Filed by the news organizations challenging the ban
- Administration argument
- Justice Department lawyers cited national security grounds
- Trump’s criticism
- He accused the outlets of reporting “fiction and lies”
