US judge extends media outlets' White House access

US judge extends media outlets' White House access

The full report

A federal judge has extended an order to allow three US media outlets to report from the White House, despite the Trump administration trying to ban them. The three outlets, CNN, MS NOW and Politico, filed a lawsuit against the White House decision on constitutional free speech and due process grounds.

The judge, District Judge Timothy Kelly, ruled that President Donald Trump likely broke the law by trying to ban the outlets. He then issued a preliminary injunction to extend the previous order for the duration of the case.

The judge cited a Washington Federal Appeals Court precedent when handing down his decision, noting that the White House must follow proper procedure before revoking press credentials. Despite White House claims to the contrary, Kelly said he thought media outlets suing the Trump administration were "likely to succeed not only on their due process claim, but also on their two First Amendment claims."

The First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees, among other things, "the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press." The judge required the media plaintiffs to post a bond of $1.