Midnight blow: Judge blocks Trump press ban, orders immediate reinstatement

U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters during a press briefing at the White House, on the one-year mark into his second term in office, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 20, 2026.

A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from barring journalists representing CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House complex, ordering that their press credentials be restored immediately. In a ruling issued shortly after midnight, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly granted a 14-day temporary restraining order to the three news organizations, stating that the White House’s abrupt revocation of their "hard passes" likely violated their constitutional due process rights.

The legal clash began after President Trump announced the ban on Truth Social, declaring that the outlets would no longer be permitted on White House grounds due to what he termed "constant reporting of fiction and lies". Following the social media post, reporters arriving at the complex had their press badges confiscated or deactivated. In response, CNN, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), and Politico filed a joint lawsuit challenging the directive as a blatant violation of First Amendment protections and due process.

During a court teleconference, the Department of Justice defended the administration's actions, shifting the narrative by arguing that access to the White House is a privilege rather than an entitlement. Government lawyers claimed that the president holds broad authority to control access to restricted presidential areas and justified the ban on national security grounds. They pointed to specific stories published by the outlets—such as reporting on the construction of a White House bunker and the depletion of U.S. ammunition stockpiles during the war in Iran—as failures to maintain basic professional standards.

However, Judge Kelly expressed deep skepticism regarding the government’s national security justifications, characterizing the cited articles as routine journalism. He noted that the administration's legal explanations were severely undercut by President Trump’s own public statements, which focused explicitly on his dissatisfaction with the negative tone and perceived lack of truthfulness in the outlets' reporting.

Furthermore, Judge Kelly emphasized that the administration failed to provide the news organizations with adequate advance notice or a meaningful opportunity to respond before stripping them of their credentials, running afoul of established D.C. Circuit court precedents.

The temporary restraining order marks an important early victory for the press corps in an escalating battle over media access. Major television networks had already begun protesting the ban by refusing to participate in the daily television pool, which halted significant video coverage of the president. Supported by a broad coalition of media organizations, including Fox News and The Washington Post, the ruling ensures that reporters can immediately return to work at the complex while the broader constitutional challenge plays out in court.

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