Trump-Appointed Judge Reinstates CNN, MS NOW, Politico Press Access

Posted in: streaming, TV, YouTube | Tagged: cnn, MS NOW, Politico, trump

Trump-Appointed Judge Reinstates CNN, MS NOW, Politico Press Access

Trump-appointed Judge Timothy Kelly has issued a temporary restraining order reinstating CNN, MS NOW, and Politico's White House access.

Published Thu, 24 Sep 2026 07:37:10 -0500
by Ray Flook
|
Comments

There were signs that things weren't going to go Donald Trump's way on Wednesday when Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly questioned whether CNN, MS NOW, and Politico had been given due process before the White House pulled their press credentials in retaliation for their reporting. On Thursday, those signs proved correct when Judge Kelly granted the news outlets' request for a temporary restraining order (TRO). That means the White House must immediately reinstate CNN, MS NOW, and Politico's press access – at least, for the next 14 days – as the news outlets' First and Fifth Amendment lawsuit against Trump's ban plays out in court.

In the decision that was released shortly after midnight on Thursday, Judge Kelly ruled that the White House must "immediately return, reinstate, and restore the White House 'hard pass' press credentials held by employees of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO that were revoked on or about September 18, 2026, until further Order of the Court or the expiration of this Temporary Restraining Order" (you can check out the complete ruling online). The judge granted the TRO after determining that CNN, MS NOW, and Politico would most likely be able to prove their claims "at least on their Fifth Amendment procedural due process claim." Adding to Judge Kelly's decision was the fact that the news outlets "did not receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before their hard passes were revoked," though the news outlets' claim of First Amendment violations was not addressed in the ruling to grant the TRO.

Trump's Justice Department argued in a court filing prior to Judge Kelly's decision that "access to the White House is a privilege, not a right," that Trump was within his rights to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House over "national security" concerns, and that the "President's actions are lawful under the First Amendment." Today's ruling is just the latest chapter in a story that began last weekend, when news teams from the three outlets were denied access to the White House, and their press credentials were revoked. Leading up to today's decision, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX News issued a joint statement supporting the banned news outlets and announcing their withdrawal from Trump's TV press pool. In addition, several other news outlets and print media offered their support to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico by refusing to cover Trump's events.

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!