Judge extends White House access for media outlets banned by Trump

A federal judge has extended White House access for CNN, MS NOW and ‌Politico journalists, deciding on Tuesday that Donald Trump's attempt to ban them was unlawful.

The journalists originally had their access reinstated temporarily through an emergency order on 24 September by US District Judge Timothy Kelly, who has now elaborated on his decision.

The ruling will see the news organisations retain their access until a final judgment is reached in the lawsuit they brought, unless an appeals court lifts the order.

Judge Kelly wrote that Mr Trump's public remarks made clear that he banned the media outlets because he considered their reporting biased and inaccurate, rather than because of national security concerns as government lawyers later asserted in court.

"Simply put, that is unlawful viewpoint discrimination," the judge wrote, ⁠adding that "no one should read this decision as suggesting that President Trump's ⁠complaints are meritless."

The US president announced the ban in September on his social media platform, ‌saying CNN, Politico, and MS NOW "shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they're covering the President of the United States".

The judge, who was appointed by Mr Trump in 2017, had held a hearing on 8 October to hear arguments from the news outlets and the Justice Department on whether to extend the protection for the journalists.

The Justice Department defended the bans as fair and justified, while the outlets' attorney said the president "wants to coerce better coverage".

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The decision to extend the journalists' access coincided with the first media briefing by new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, who took only a few questions from reporters during her 14-minute briefing.

Past presidents have battled with the press, but Mr Trump's campaign against the media has been unprecedented.

He has upended decades ‌of tradition by denying basic access to many major news organisations, launching personal attacks on journalists for their reporting, and elevating media outlets seen as more sympathetic to him.

He has also filed lawsuits against multiple news outlets.

(c) Sky News 2026: Judge extends White House access for media outlets banned by Trump