A federal judge has granted three liberal media outlets immediate access to the White House grounds after President Donald Trump banned them from the presidential complex.
In a ruling issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the White House to reinstate press credentials for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. The decision follows Trump’s administration announcement that it barred the networks “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS.”
The judge found that Trump’s ban violated the First Amendment and due process protections under the Fifth Amendment. Kelly noted the White House failed to provide any evidence linking the outlets’ reporting to national security concerns, stating: “Defendants offer no declarations or other support — classified or unclassified — explaining how any of the reporting they identified in their letters to Plaintiffs damaged national security.”
The ruling addresses a lawsuit filed by CNN, MS NOW, and Politico against Trump, two of his staffers, and U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran. The media outlets argued the ban constituted an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights.
White House television pool members, including Fox News, ended pooled coverage in protest after Trump’s announcement.
