A federal district court judge extended protections for three news organizations whose White House press credentials were revoked by the Trump administration in mid-September. Judge Timothy Kelly issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday maintaining the status quo that had been in place since an earlier temporary restraining order, preventing the White House from enforcing the credential revocation against CNN, MS Now, and Politico.
The three news organizations filed a lawsuit on 21 September challenging the ban as unconstitutional. The White House had revoked their hard pass credentials on September 18, stating the action was prompted by what the president characterized as false reporting. The media companies contended they received no advance notice of the revocation before access was cut off, contrary to established legal precedent regarding due process.
During oral arguments at the E Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse, Judge Kelly indicated skepticism of the administration’s position, suggesting the government faced significant legal obstacles. The judge wrote that the plaintiffs “are likely to succeed” on both due process and First Amendment claims. He noted that while White House access is not constitutionally guaranteed, once provided to journalists, precedent prevents removal based on editorial or viewpoint considerations.
The administration’s case was complicated by public statements from President Trump. During a Time magazine interview, the president acknowledged that the ban was motivated by dissatisfaction with the outlets’ coverage. The media organizations’ attorney, Theodore J Boutrous, cited these statements as evidence the action violated constitutional protections. The judge agreed that Trump’s comments suggested intent to alter reporting behavior.
The court found that journalists from the affected outlets had been prevented from performing certain coverage duties, including pool reporting on presidential activities, despite the temporary access restoration. The judge required the media plaintiffs to post a nominal $1 bond in connection with the injunction. The underlying lawsuit challenging the ban is expected to proceed over coming months.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI