CNN, MS NOW and Politico seek court order restoring White House access

Washington, United States. CNN, MS NOW and Politico will ask a federal judge on Wednesday to immediately restore their access to the White House after President Donald Trump banned them. The outlets say the ban violates their rights to free speech and due process.

Court hearing

US District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, will consider the outlets’ request at a 3:30 p.m. (1930 GMT) hearing. They are seeking access while their lawsuit, filed on Monday, proceeds.

Trump announced the ban on Friday on his Truth Social platform, saying the three organisations “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States.”

In a filing ahead of the hearing, the Trump administration argued that White House access is a privilege, not an entitlement, and that the president has the authority to suspend it. The outlets called the ban a direct assault on the First Amendment and a violation of fundamental constitutional principles.

Response from news organisations

Trump has accused the media of trying to hurt Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections, as his declining popularity threatens the party’s chances of retaining control of both houses of Congress.

In solidarity with the three outlets, major US television networks suspended pooled coverage of Trump’s movements on Monday, disrupting a decades-long system that allows Americans to see the president’s public movements on television. With the press pool absent, Trump’s remarks at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the White House’s new helipad were inaudible on the White House livestream.

Free speech experts said the ban faces legal obstacles because US courts have long held that, once the government opens a space to the media, it cannot make press access conditional on favourable coverage.