A judge ordered reporters' access restored but they say that's not what happened
WASHINGTON, DC: Only hours after a judge ordered the White House to restore access to journalists from three media outlets banned by the Trump administration for allegedly carrying out negative and “fake” news, the federal administration again stopped them from entering the White House.
President Donald Trump on September 18 announced that he was banning journalists from CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House over their style of reporting on him and his government.
The decision was reportedly taken after an executive aide, Natalie Harp, showed Trump clips of MS NOW’s critical reporting about the president.
Reporters still denied entry despite court order
Reporters for Politico, MS NOW, and CNN said that they were still being barred from the White House on Thursday morning, September 24, despite a judge's order to restore the access of these journalists.
According to a report published by Politico on Thursday, reporters' credentials were confiscated by a Secret Service agent.
The outlet's emergency filing described what happened when reporters tried to enter.
“A Secret Service agent said the reporter was not cleared to enter but might be able to with a temporary day pass, which the White House grants to those who do not hold what are known as “hard passes,” which grant permanent access to press facilities at the White House,” the outlet wrote.
MS NOW’s Laura Barrón-López also claimed that her White House access card was taken on Thursday morning when she attempted to enter the White House.
One of CNN’s reporters, Betsy Klein, also faced the same issue, as she was barred from the White House grounds.
“I know Betsy was not able to get in this morning,” CNN White House correspondent Alayna Treene told host John Berman on the air. “She’s trying to do so now, so we’ll have to stay tuned on that.”
However, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed an emergency request for a hearing on Thursday morning after some staff were denied access to the White House.
Judge orders White House to restore press access
Judge Timothy Kelly blocked Trump’s ban in a ruling early Thursday morning and ordered the White House to restore access to the three news organizations.
BREAKING:
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 24, 2026
Some CNN staff have been unable to gain access to the White House. CNN reporter Betsy Klein and a photojournalist were denied access to the White House grounds in the 6:00 a.m. hour. There was no reason provided for the refusal. https://t.co/DZfyMKPUqo https://t.co/q864qNjgY6
Kelly was nominated by President Donald Trump to the US District Court for the District of Columbia in 2017.
In 2018, Kelly ordered then-CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials restored after the Trump administration revoked them.
The court issued a 14-day temporary restraining order while it considers the broader case.
“The record lacks factual support for Defendants’ contention that the revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes will in fact protect national security or that national security will be endangered if the Court orders their passes reinstated while this litigation proceeds,” Kelly wrote.
Press ban controversy timeline
After the ban was imposed, journalists from the three organizations were denied access to the White House.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico jointly filed their lawsuit against Donald Trump on Monday, notifying the administration that day that they were suing in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
Their complaint argues that the White House retaliated against them because of their reporting and discriminated against their viewpoints.
The outlets also argued that their Fifth Amendment due process rights were violated because the credentials were revoked without notice or an opportunity to contest the decision.
On the same day, the five major television networks forming the rotating White House press pool, ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox News, boycotted the coverage.
