A federal judge on Thursday temporarily extended his order blocking President Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, saying he would decide by next week whether to keep the outlets’ access in place for a longer period.
Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said the short extension would give him time to review the arguments. The outlets asked that their access continue while the lawsuit proceeds, a process that could take months. The government countered that the president has the authority to bar them and should be allowed to reinstate the ban while the case continues.
Trump announced the ban in a social media post on Sept. 18. Journalists from the three outlets were denied entry the next day, and the companies sued. Judge Kelly had already granted them a two-week reprieve that expired Thursday.
Michael Velchik, a lawyer for the White House, said the companies had “chosen not to defend themselves” by not responding. Theodore J. Boutrous, a First Amendment lawyer for the outlets, called the process a “sham” and said the president had already decided to ban them.
The hearing addressed only restoration of the outlets’ credentials to enter White House grounds, not the rotating “pool” assignments used to cover the president in spaces too small for the full press corps. Those assignments have been disputed since Judge Kelly’s order took effect.