US judge backs CNN, MS Now, Politico access to White House

CNN’s broadcast booth is seen in the press area of the White House in Washington, DC, September 18, 2026. Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP.

A federal judge blocked on Tuesday the White House from banning CNN, MS Now and Politico journalists, following President Donald Trump’s decision to ban the news outlets last month.

District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that the Trump administration must grant the journalists access to the White House while the lawsuit filed by the three outlets against the ban proceeds.

Kelly said the outlets were “likely to succeed not only on their due process claim, but also on their two First Amendment claims.”

The First Amendment upholds the right to a free press.

Trump barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House on September 18 for distributing what he called “fake news” and “fiction and lies.”

The three outlets filed a joint lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction against the ban.

A court order temporarily restored the White House credentials of the journalists. That ban was set to expire Tuesday.

“The Court will extend the relief it already ordered, which will continue to preserve the status quo while this case proceeds,” Kelly wrote in an opinion accompanying Tuesday’s order.

“President Trump likely banned Plaintiffs from the White House because he believes that their reporting is generally inaccurate and biased against him,” Kelly added.

Trump has long attacked media that have aired critical coverage of him, repeatedly blasting the press as the “enemy of the people.”