White House Restores Press Credentials to CNN, MS NOW and Politico After Judge Orders
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A federal judge ruled that President Trump's ban on three news outlets likely violated due process, prompting the White House to reinstate their press passes.
The White House announced Thursday that it had restored press badges for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico following a district court order. U.S. District Judge Tim Kelly, who heard a lawsuit filed by the three outlets, found that the revocation of their credentials "likely violated their constitutional due process rights" and ordered a 14-day halt to the ban.
The reinstatement came after the outlets reported continued blockage from the White House grounds and sought an emergency hearing. White House press operations director Micah Stopperich said the administration began re-issuing the badges at 7:25 a.m. and had them available for pickup near 9:55 a.m.
Judge Kelly, appointed by President Trump, expressed skepticism about the Justice Department’s national-security justification, noting the president had cited “false or negative coverage” as the reason for the ban. He wrote that the record did not show how revoking the passes would protect national security.
The three news organizations had sued, alleging violations of the First Amendment and due-process protections. A coalition of press-freedom groups later filed a brief supporting the outlets. Attorney Theodore Boutrous praised the ruling as a vindication of press freedom and the rule of law.
The dispute coincided with President Trump’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly and his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, events for which the White House television pool did not include CNN. The pool’s members have said they will not resume coverage until CNN is formally reinstated.
The decision follows other recent legal setbacks for the president, including the dismissal of a lawsuit he filed against the Des Moines Register over a poll. The judge’s order requires the administration to return the press passes immediately and refrain from enforcing the ban for two weeks.