US judge orders temporary lift on Trump’s ban of three news outlets

A US federal judge has temporarily overturned President Donald Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, ordering the White House to restore their press passes for 14 days.

Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that the ban “likely violated” the outlets’ constitutional due‑process rights and that the administration had not provided factual support for national‑security claims used to justify the revocation.

Despite the overnight ruling, journalists from the three organisations were denied entry on Thursday evening to cover the state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping. CNN and MS NOW reporters said they had submitted credentials but were told only a photojournalist and audio technician could be admitted.

The White House communications account responded on X, claiming the outlets do not have “free rein into every part of the White House, every event, and every press call”.

Following a court filing by the White House Operations director stating that press passes had been restored by 09:45 local time, the outlets reported being allowed back in, though other networks that had withdrawn in solidarity have not confirmed a return to coverage.

The judge’s order also halts enforcement of the ban for two weeks, while the case proceeds.

Source: BBC News. Photo: Warren Griffiths / Pexels.