US judge orders Trump to lift White House ban against CNN, MS NOW & Politico

A federal judge has ordered U.S. president Donald Trump to lift his White House ban against CNN, MS NOW, and Politico journalists.

District Judge Tim Kelly made the order on Sep. 24, Reuters reported.

Order

The judge issued the order following a lawsuit the three media outlets filed against Trump, challenging the ban issued on Sep. 18.

The outlets alleged that the ban violated their rights to free speech and free press under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.

Kelly ordered the Trump administration to return the outlets’ press passes immediately.

He also ordered officials not to enforce the ban for 14 days.

Kelly rejected the government’s claim that the ban was made because of national security concerns.

"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," he ​said.

Kelly added that Trump said the ban stemmed from an "alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity" in the three outlets' reporting.

Ban

On Sep. 18, Trump announced on Truth Social that he was banning “Fake News”, which consisted of the three outlets.

“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow,” he wrote.

Following the White House access ban, the three outlets filed a lawsuit against Trump.

"Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference," the three outlets wrote in a joint statement on Sep. 21.

Previous ban

On Feb. 11, 2025, the White House office indefinitely banned the Associated Press.

This followed the outlet’s refusal to refer to the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America” after Trump announced the name change in January 2025.

According to the Associated Press, the outlet will use its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump chose.

“As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognisable to all audiences,” the outlet said.