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World

Judge orders Trump to restore White House press access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Thursday to immediately restore White House access for three banned news outlets, ruling the ban was likely unconstitutional.

By Sarah Whitfield · · 1 min read

A federal judge ordered Donald Trump on Thursday to restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, ruling that the ban on the three outlets was likely unconstitutional, Reuters reports.

US District Judge Tim Kelly ordered the Trump administration to immediately return the outlets’ press passes and blocked officials from enforcing the ban for 14 days. He rejected the government’s assertion that the ban was motivated by national security concerns, finding “the record lacks factual support” for the claim.

Trump announced the ban on 18 September, revoking the hard passes of the three outlets’ White House correspondents on 19 September. The outlets sued in federal court in Washington on Monday, arguing the ban violated First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press, as well as their due process rights.

At a hearing on Wednesday, Kelly — a Trump appointee — said two precedents from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit made clear journalists are entitled to due process before their press passes can be revoked. He noted the Justice Department’s explanation letters were sent only after the revocation and the lawsuit.

The news organisations told the court some of their journalists were denied entry early on Thursday, including CNN reporter Betsy Klein, and asked for an immediate hearing, according to NPR.

A coalition of press-freedom groups and dozens of news organisations, including the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Reuters, the Washington Post and Fox News, filed a brief on Wednesday supporting the outlets.

Sources

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