Judge orders Trump to restore CNN, Politico and MS NOW's access to White House

A federal judge has ordered the White House to restore press access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico after their reporters had their credentials pulled, CNN has reported.

Judge Timothy Kelly ruled the bans violated basic due-process protections, since the outlets weren't given notice or a chance to challenge the decision before losing access.

Citing established legal principle, Kelly noted that the US government cannot strip someone of a constitutionally protected interest without first affording them an opportunity to state their case.

"The ‘general rule’ is that “individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the Government deprives them’ of a constitutionally protected interest," Kelly wrote in his judgment seen by CNN.

The ruling requires immediate reinstatement of the affected outlets' access to the White House premises.

Trump announced the ban in a Friday social media post, accusing the outlets of "FAKE NEWS" reporting and warning other media organizations could follow, but the administration didn't spell out any process for appealing the decision until the following Wednesday — days after the reporters' passes were confiscated.

In court, Justice Department lawyers argued the bans were justified on national security grounds, pointing to stories including one on plans to build a bunker beneath the East Wing, but the outlets' attorney countered that national security had not been mentioned when the ban was first announced and appeared to have been introduced only after the lawsuit was filed.

Kelly's ruling noted that the East Wing story the administration cited had in fact been published months before the CNN reporter's press pass was even renewed, undermining the timeline of the government's argument.

The judge's decision came after nearly 50 news organizations, including the major broadcast networks, had rallied in support of the banned outlets, with some halting White House pool coverage in solidarity.

"The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting," ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC said.

Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as more information becomes available.