U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly has ordered the White House to continue allowing journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico to access the building. This ruling extends a temporary block on the Trump administration's efforts to ban the three media outlets while a lawsuit against the administration plays out in the legal system.
The conflict began in September when President Donald Trump banned the news organizations from entering White House grounds. The judge noted that the president's public remarks made it clear the ban was implemented because he considered the outlets' reporting to be biased, inaccurate, and "FAKE NEWS."
Judge Kelly ruled that the revocation of hard passes for these journalists likely violated their First and Fifth Amendment rights. The judge stated that the news organizations have reasonable grounds to believe they will win the case, prompting an injunction to prevent them from being booted from the premises until the matter goes to a formal trial or the case is decided.
Although the ruling ensures access to the White House grounds, it does not resolve all of the outlets' access problems. Meanwhile, the US Justice Department has appealed the federal judge’s order allowing the journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico to maintain their access.