A US federal judge has ordered the White House to maintain press credentials for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico while their lawsuit challenging a ban proceeds.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly granted the news outlets’ request for a preliminary injunction on Tuesday.
The order said the administration “shall not execute, implement or enforce the September 18, 2026 decision to revoke the White House ‘hard pass’ press credentials held by employees of CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO”.
The ruling maintains “the status quo since the Court’s entry of a temporary restraining order on September 24, 2026”, the order said.
US President Donald Trump announced on September 18 that he was barring journalists from the three outlets from the White House, accusing them of spreading “fake news”.
Three days later, the outlets filed a lawsuit arguing that the ban violated the First and Fifth Amendments to the US Constitution, which protect press freedom and due process, among other rights.
Kelly subsequently issued a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to reinstate the journalists’ press credentials while the legal challenge continued.
