A federal judge has ordered the White House to immediately restore press access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico after President Donald Trump banned those outlets from the premises. The ruling came late Wednesday and temporarily lifted Trump’s ban, which had been in effect since Saturday. The White House began readmitting reporters from the blocked outlets on Thursday afternoon following the court’s order. Judge Timothy Kelly found that the ban likely violated the journalists’ constitutional rights and directed Trump and other defendants to respond to the ruling.

The White House initially barred journalists from the three outlets despite the judge’s temporary restraining order, prompting legal filings claiming non-compliance. Ultimately, the White House Director of Operations confirmed that press passes had been restored. The judge highlighted that Trump did not provide advance notice or an opportunity to be heard before the ban, violating established federal appeals court precedents. The ban was challenged in court on grounds that it infringed on the First Amendment rights of the media by singling out outlets based on their reporting.

Judge Kelly expressed skepticism toward the Justice Department’s claim that revoking press credentials was necessary for national security reasons. The judge pointed out that no evidence in the record suggested a genuine security threat and noted that Trump’s public statements focused on criticizing what he described as “lies” and negativity in the outlets’ coverage. Kelly emphasized that the reasons given for the ban related to journalistic content rather than legitimate security concerns, undermining the government’s argument for the restriction.

The judge’s temporary restraining order will remain in effect for at least 14 days, and the outlets have been ordered to file any motion for a preliminary injunction by September 28 to maintain press access during ongoing litigation. The White House has yet to formally respond to the ruling but complied by restoring credentials. The outlets' attorney, Theodore Boutrous Jr., praised the decision as a strong affirmation of press freedom and due process, while the judge plans to hear the case and rule promptly on the next procedural steps.