White House staff blocked Politico, MS NOW and CNN reporters from the grounds Thursday, hours after a federal judge ordered their access restored and said President Donald Trump’s ban on the three outlets was likely unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Tim Kelly’s overnight ruling blocked the ban for 14 days, calling the revocation of the journalists’ White House credentials a likely violation of their due process rights. The decision was a major early setback for Trump in one of his sharpest clashes with the press.
Reuters reports Politico said its reporter’s credentials were confiscated after the order. An MS NOW reporter said she was blocked from the White House. CNN said some staff members were denied entry onto the grounds.
MS NOW’s Laura Barrón-López, reporting outside the complex, said it was unclear whether her blocked entry was defiance of the court order or a problem with the White House entry system. White House representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kelly also questioned the Justice Department’s national security justification for the ban, noting that Trump himself had said the outlets were barred over what he called false or negative coverage.
Theodore Boutrous, an attorney for the three outlets, called the ruling “a strong ruling vindicating freedom of the press, due process and the rule of law.”
Trump announced the ban in a Sept. 18 social media post. The outlets sued him and other administration officials Monday, arguing the action violated First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press, as well as due process. A coalition of press freedom groups and dozens of news organizations, including Reuters, filed a supporting brief Wednesday.