US judge delays ruling on White House ban of CNN, MS NOW, Politico

September 24, 2026 at 12:26 AM2 min

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A US district judge held a hearing on Wednesday but did not rule on a request by CNN, MS NOW and Politico for a temporary restraining order to restore their White House access. The Trump administration defended the ban, arguing the president has broad authority over press access and citing national security concerns. The outlets sued on Monday, claiming the ban violates their First Amendment rights.

Key Facts

US District Judge Timothy Kelly held a hearing in Washington on Wednesday afternoon but did not issue a ruling on the outlets' request for a temporary restraining order.
The White House press office sent letters to CNN, MS NOW and Politico on Tuesday alleging their coverage involved 'trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security' and publishing sensitive or classified information.
The Justice Department argued in a court filing that 'access to the White House is a privilege — not a right' and asked the court to overturn the 1977 appeals court ruling Sherrill vs Knight.
The lawsuit by the three outlets argues that the ban violates their First Amendment rights.

The Hearing

US District Judge Timothy Kelly held the hearing in Washington to consider a request by CNN, MS NOW and Politico for a temporary restraining order that would immediately reinstate their White House access. He did not make a ruling, and it was unclear when he would issue a decision. The news organisations are scheduled to make their case to the judge on Wednesday afternoon.

Administration Defense

In a filing ahead of the hearing, Justice Department lawyers said the outlets had failed to meet what the administration described as standards of professionalism and decorum. The filing argued that the president has broad authority to determine which journalists can access the complex and that the outlets' reporting raised national security concerns. The White House press office sent letters to the three outlets on Tuesday alleging their coverage involved 'trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information'. The letters cited CNN publishing 'top-secret' construction details of a bunker beneath the White House's East Wing, MS NOW coverage of the impact of the Iran war on US military munitions and a Politico report about funding for the White House ballroom that included details about Secret Service security improvements. The administration is also asking the court to overturn a 1977 appeals court ruling, Sherrill vs Knight, which held that White House press access could not be denied arbitrarily or without compelling reasons.

Legal Challenge

The lawsuit by the three outlets argues that the ban violates their First Amendment rights. Katie Fallow, deputy litigation director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the proceedings are historic. She said no president has taken this explicit of a step to ban entire news outlets because he doesn't like their reporting.