A federal judge has issued a temporary block on the Trump administration’s enforcement of its ban on reporters from CNN, Politico, and MS NOW at the White House, directing that their press credentials be reinstated during the ongoing case.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order following claims by the three news outlets that the White House illegally withdrew their access.
“The record lacks factual support for Defendants’ contention that the revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes will in fact protect national security or that national security will be endangered if the Court orders their passes reinstated while this litigation proceeds,” he wrote in his ruling.
President Donald Trump declared the ban last week, alleging that the outlets had published inaccurate reports.
CNN, Politico, and MS NOW filed a lawsuit shortly after, claiming the action infringed on their First Amendment rights and Fifth Amendment due process protections.
The administration contended that the ban was warranted due to national security issues, stating that the outlets had published stories involving classified or sensitive data.
Kelly determined that the government had not supplied sufficient evidence to substantiate that claim at this point in the litigation.
“The record lacks factual support for Defendants’ contention that the revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes will in fact protect national security or that national security will be endangered if the Court orders their passes reinstated while this litigation proceeds,” he wrote.
Kelly further noted that he was constrained by an established precedent that affirms White House correspondents have a protected liberty interest in their press credentials.
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