Judge Delays Ruling on White House Media Access Ban
A federal judge ended a Wednesday hearing without ruling on a request by CNN, MS NOW and Politico to restore their journalists’ access to the White House. The outlets are challenging President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke their press passes, arguing that it violates constitutional protections for a free press.
During the 46-minute teleconference hearing, Judge Timothy Kelly said he would consider both sides’ arguments and issue a decision as soon as possible. The outlets’ lawyer, Theodore Boutrous Jr., described the ban as retaliation for coverage the president considers negative. He cited Trump’s public comments as evidence of viewpoint discrimination.
Justice Department lawyer Michael Velchik disputed that characterization, arguing that White House access is a privilege rather than a right. He said the president must be able to act quickly to protect national security and noted that Trump has criticized other outlets without revoking their access. The department raised national security concerns in a court filing.
Kelly also questioned the process behind the decision, referring to a 1977 appeals court ruling on due process for White House press passes. The three outlets received no advance warning before Trump announced the ban. The Justice Department argues the earlier ruling was wrong and has since sent letters outlining the grounds for its action.
The letters give the outlets until Friday to respond before a permanent ban is imposed. Trump initially accused the organizations of publishing “fake news” about his administration. Their passes were taken away when journalists arrived at the White House on Saturday. The outlets jointly filed suit on Monday.
Kelly did not say when he would rule. In 2018, he ordered the White House to restore the press pass of then-CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after it was revoked following a confrontation with Trump. The current case remains unresolved.