US Court Extends Order Allowing CNN and Other Media Outlets to Access White House

A U.S. court has extended an order requiring the White House to allow media outlets including CNN, MS NOW, and Politico to maintain access, judging that the ban against them likely violated the First Amendment.

CNN reported that Judge Timothy Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered on the 13th (local time) that the White House continue allowing reporters from the three outlets to enter until a final ruling is reached in the primary lawsuit filed by the companies.

Judge Kelly previously issued an initial temporary restraining order (TRO) last month, restoring their White House press credentials.

Although that order was set to expire on this day, the court's additional ruling ensures that reporters from the three outlets will be able to access the White House for the time being.

During the initial decision, Judge Kelly ruled that the White House failed to follow due process, such as fairly notifying the three outlets of relevant regulations and reasons before revoking their access.

In the latest hearing, considering the reasons for the ban publicly stated by President Trump, he concluded that the measure was highly likely to be retaliation against media outlets that published critical reports about him.

Judge Kelly pointed out in his ruling that President Trump's own statements demonstrate that "there is a strong likelihood of a causal relationship between the plaintiffs' First Amendment freedom of speech and the revocation of their permanent press passes."

He added, "President Trump likely banned these media outlets from the White House because he believes their reporting is generally inaccurate and biased."

President Trump banned their White House access on September 18, claiming that CNN and others spread "fake news" or "deliberately write negative articles to undermine the standing of the Republican Party and the Republican administration."

President Trump even argued that their fake news constituted "a threat to national security."

The Department of Justice, representing the Trump administration in the lawsuit, also argued that the ban on the three outlets' White House access stemmed, at least in part, from national security concerns.

However, Judge Kelly dismissed the Justice Department's argument, stating, "There is no evidence in the record that President Trump cited national security when he initially decided on the ban, and the president has never directly mentioned national security as the reason for this decision."

Judge Kelly criticized the government for failing to submit materials to the court supporting its national security claims and for not even attempting to clarify "specifically which information was considered classified or sensitive" among the questioned reports.

At the same time, Judge Kelly emphasized that this decision should not be interpreted to mean the government cannot respond to the unlawful disclosure of classified information, while expressing partial sympathy with President Trump's concerns regarding the accuracy and fairness of media reporting.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.