Federal Judge to Decide Whether White House Must Restore Press Passes for CNN, Politico and MS NOW
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U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly held an emergency hearing on a lawsuit challenging the White House's suspension of permanent press credentials for three news outlets, citing due-process concerns.
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump-appointed judge, conducted an emergency hearing on Wednesday after CNN, Politico and MS NOW sued to regain their permanent White House press passes. The judge indicated that the administration’s abrupt revocation may have breached the outlets’ constitutional due-process rights, which courts have previously upheld.
"The White House appears to have violated the news outlets' constitutional right of due process," Kelly said in his opening remarks.
Attorney Theodore J. Boutrous, representing the three organizations, argued that the ban was enacted without any procedural safeguards and infringed on First Amendment protections. He described the action as retaliation for the outlets' coverage of the president and warned that the media companies were suffering irreparable harm, especially amid ongoing international diplomatic events.
The Justice Department, through lawyer Michael Velchik, countered that White House access is a privilege rather than a right and cited national-security concerns, referencing letters that criticized recent reporting on topics such as a proposed underground bunker, talks with Iran and commentary on a recent political convention.
Boutrous disputed the timing of the security rationale, suggesting it was introduced only after the ban was imposed. Kelly did not issue an immediate ruling, stating he will review the arguments and issue a decision as soon as possible.