A federal judge has temporarily lifted President Donald Trump’s ban on three news organisations, restoring their access to the White House for 14 days. The decision follows a legal challenge by CNN, MS NOW and Politico after their reporters were turned away last weekend.

Background to the ban

On a Friday, President Trump announced that the three outlets were being barred from the White House, accusing them of publishing “fake news” and “fictions and lies.” The administration defended the move in court, alleging the outlets had released false information and posed a threat to national security.

Legal challenge and court proceedings

The three media organisations filed a lawsuit claiming the ban violated their constitutional due‑process rights. In response, the Trump administration cited articles the outlets had published, including pieces about construction at the White House, and submitted declarations from defence‑department officials supporting the ban.During the hearing, Judge Timothy Kelly noted that most of the disputed stories were written by journalists who did not even hold card passes, and that the administration failed to show any reason to believe the possession of a hard pass was essential to the alleged wrongdoing.

Judge Kelly’s ruling

Judge Kelly concluded that the ban "likely violated their constitutional due process rights" and ordered the White House to reinstate access for the three outlets for a two‑week period. He stated the outlets were "likely to succeed" in demonstrating that the White House had not provided "adequate due process" in implementing the ban.

The judge also cast doubt on the administration’s national‑security argument, observing that President Trump had made no mention of security concerns in his original announcement. He wrote that "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."

Immediate impact

It remained unclear whether all reporters from the outlets would be readmitted on Thursday morning. CNN reported that some of its reporters were denied entry while others were allowed in; MS NOW and Politico gave similar accounts.

Lawyers representing the president may pursue further legal action, and the White House has not yet commented on the ruling.

Broader context

Attorney Ted Boutrous, representing the three outlets, called the decision "a strong ruling vindicating freedom of the press, due process and the rule of law." The temporary reinstatement of press passes underscores the ongoing tension between the administration’s attempts to control media access and the legal protections afforded to journalists.