# White House Defies Judge's Order to Restore Press Access

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/white-house-defies-judges-order-to-restore-press-access
- Published: 2026-09-25T19:12:41.858047+00:00
- Topics: press-freedom, white-house, trump-administration, media, court-ruling

## What the left says
- A Trump-appointed judge, not a liberal jurist, found the White House likely violated the Fifth Amendment by stripping credentials without due process, underscoring how far outside legal norms the ban was.
- The administration's own delay and initial defiance of the order — leaving reporters blocked for nearly 11 hours and then barring CNN and MS NOW from the state dinner — shows a pattern of disregard for judicial authority, not just a bureaucratic hiccup.
- The White House's shifting justifications, from 'fake news' complaints to unsubstantiated national security claims, suggest the ban was retaliation for unfavorable coverage rather than a legitimate security concern.
- Other major networks' decision to boycott pool coverage in solidarity shows the press corps, across ideological lines, viewed this as a fundamental press freedom issue worth real professional sacrifice.

## What the right says
- The White House maintains it acted on national security concerns tied to leaks and reporting based on unnamed sources, a rationale it believes deserves deference during an active legal process.
- Once notified of the court's order, the administration says it moved to restore badges within about 15 minutes and had them available for pickup that same morning, framing the delay as logistical rather than deliberate defiance.
- The administration has signaled it intends to appeal, viewing this as an ongoing legal dispute rather than a settled matter, and believes it has legitimate authority to manage who receives White House access.
- Trump has been direct that his frustration stems from years of coverage he considers biased or unfair, a grievance many conservatives share about how outlets like CNN and Politico cover him.

## Common ground
- CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were banned from the White House and later had a federal judge order their access restored.
- Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, granted a 14-day temporary restraining order after finding a likely Fifth Amendment due process violation.
- Reporters from the three outlets were initially denied entry even after the court order, prompting an emergency legal filing.
- Access was eventually restored, and the major network TV pool resumed normal White House coverage by Friday.

## Sources
- [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/09/24/white-house-press-ban-court-order) (Lean Left)
- [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/09/24/cnn-white-house-ms-politico-access) (Lean Left)
- [HuffPost](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cnn-ms-now-politico-access-white-house_n_6ab54df7e4b075a3d2846a0e) (Left)
- [PBS NewsHour](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/white-house-tv-pool-is-back-in-operation-after-a-dayslong-ban-of-news-outlets-from-grounds) (Lean Left)
- [The Guardian US](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/sep/25/trump-media-ban-white-house-pool) (Left)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/newsletters/1230-report/6111730-donald-trump-white-house-pool-comeback-xi-jinping-summit-midterms-economy/) (Center)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/media/6111575-major-networks-back-white-house-pool/) (Center)
- [Vox](https://www.vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump/503750/trump-press-ban-court-ruling-cnn-politico-ms-now) (Left)
- [Vox](https://www.vox.com/today-explained-newsletter/503797/white-house-press-ban-hearing) (Left)

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