By Web Desk
Washington
A United States federal judge has issued a nationwide temporary restraining order halting the Trump administration from revoking the press credentials of correspondents from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, ruling that the sudden suspension of hard passes without administrative due process violated constitutional safeguards protecting freedom of the press.
The decisive judicial order, handed down on Wednesday by US District Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington, marks an immediate legal setback for the White House press office, which had stripped dozens of veteran correspondents of their permanent campus access passes on September 18. Judge Kelly, who was appointed to the federal bench by Donald Trump in 2017, ordered the administration and the United States Secret Service to immediately reactivate the credentials of all impacted reporters, restoring their access to daily briefings and official campus events.
Due Process Protections and First Amendment Scrutiny
In a detailed 24-page memorandum opinion delivered from the federal courthouse in the District of Columbia, Judge Kelly concluded that the plaintiffs--a unified media coalition representing the three national news organizations--had demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the merits regarding Fifth Amendment procedural due process claims.
The court affirmed established legal precedent that accredited journalists possess a protected property interest in White House press credentials once granted. As a consequence, the executive branch cannot unilaterally suspend or revoke those privileges without providing formal advance notice, explicit published standards, and an impartial evidentiary hearing where affected reporters can contest allegations.
"While the President retains broad constitutional authority over executive administration, that authority remains constrained by the Bill of Rights," Judge Kelly wrote in his binding decision. "When the government grants journalists regular physical access to official public news events, it cannot arbitrarily extinguish that access based on subjective dissatisfaction with news coverage without affording basic notice and an opportunity to be heard."
Court Dismisses Department of Justice National Security Defense
During contentious emergency proceedings earlier in the week, Department of Justice attorneys argued that physical access to the 18-acre White House complex is a discretionary privilege rather than an enforceable entitlement. Federal prosecutors contended that presidential security determinations and room management policies should not be subject to judicial second-guessing, arguing vaguely that specific reporting behaviors posed operational impediments to security personnel.
Judge Kelly forcefully rejected the government national security rationale, noting that the administration failed to introduce a single sworn affidavit or factual exhibit demonstrating that any barred correspondent posed a physical or operational threat to the executive complex. The judge highlighted that White House officials had publicly justified the bans by citing alleged bias and critical editorial stances, rather than documented security breaches.
"The government cannot cloister arbitrary administrative retaliation behind general appeals to national security," the opinion noted. "To accept such unsubstantiated claims would effectively eliminate First Amendment scrutiny over public access to executive branch proceedings."
Immediate Reaction and 14-Day Injunction Timeline
The temporary restraining order remains in effect for 14 calendar days, during which the White House must maintain unrestricted access for the affected outlets while both legal teams prepare for preliminary injunction proceedings. Attorneys representing CNN, MS NOW, and Politico hailed the ruling as an essential defense of democratic norms and journalistic independence.
"Today decision reaffirms the fundamental constitutional principle that no political administration has the unilateral power to choose which journalists are permitted to report on the presidency," the media coalition stated in a joint press briefing following the ruling.
White House press representatives expressed strong disappointment with the decision, indicating that government counsel is evaluating whether to seek an emergency stay before the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Legal scholars emphasize that the ruling reinforces long-standing institutional limits governing executive interactions with the independent press corps.
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