Key facts
- The White House blocked CNN from traveling with President Donald Trump on Air Force One for a trip to Tennessee on Saturday.
- A federal judge ruled that the White House's ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico was likely unconstitutional.
- US District Judge Tim Kelly ordered the administration to immediately return confiscated press passes for the three outlets.
- The judge blocked enforcement of the ban for 14 days.
- The White House's claim that the ban was for national security was rejected by the judge.
- Trump stated the ban was due to the outlets' alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity.
The White House blocked CNN from traveling with President Donald Trump on Air Force One for a trip to Tennessee on Saturday, according to two people familiar with the decision. This action occurred after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House was likely unconstitutional.
US District Judge Tim Kelly ordered the administration to immediately return the confiscated press passes for the three outlets and blocked enforcement of the ban for 14 days. The judge rejected the White House's assertion that the ban, announced on September 18, was motivated by national security concerns. Kelly noted that Trump himself had stated the ban was due to the outlets’ alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity.
The judge also wrote that CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were likely to succeed in their argument that their press passes were revoked without constitutionally adequate due process. The White House had not provided a clear explanation for the ban, with a letter sent to the outlets described as vague.
Following the judge's ruling, personnel from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were seen on the White House campus around noon on Thursday. Theodore Boutrous Jr., an attorney for the outlets, called the ruling a vindication of freedom of the press and due process.