Journalists for CNN, MS Now, Politico allowed back in White House following Trump ban

Journalists for CNN, MS NOW and Politico were allowed back onto White House grounds Thursday, hours after a judge ruled in the outlets’ favor following President Trump’s decision to ban the media organizations from the building last week.

The networks reported on air that their reporters and photographers were initially denied access early Thursday but were allowed into the building after attorneys for the companies petitioned a judge urging him compel the White House to respond to their requests for re-entry.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the administration to restore access “immediately” overnight, after an emergency hearing on Wednesday. MS Now, CNN and Politico argued their due process and First Amendment rights were violated by Trump’s ban .

“Defendants do not dispute that Plaintiffs did not receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before their hard passes were revoked,” Kelly, a Trump appointee, wrote as part of his opinion.

After the reporters were still blocked earlier Thursday, attorney Theodore Boutrous — who represented the outlets — wrote to Kelly saying “time is of the essence.”

“CNN is scheduled to be the television pool this evening for President Xi Jinping’s visit to the White House,” he said at the time, arguing the Trump administration “already repeatedly violated the Court’s Order.”

The president barred the outlets from the White House last week for what he called their publishing of “fake news,” while the Department of Justice argued the reporting put national security at risk.

The move was widely condemned by press freedom groups and political observers, who predicted Kelly would rule in the outlet’s favor.

Neither the White House nor President Trump have provided comment on the judge’s late-night ruling.

In a filing with the court on Thursday, the director of press operations at the White House wrote his office was notified at 7:10 a.m. to restore the outlet’s access.

The office began that process at 7:25 a.m., the White House said, and U.S. Secret Service indicated badges were back on at 9:07 a.m.

The White House press team turned confiscated badges over to the Secret Service at 9:55 a.m., according to the filing, and they were then distributed to impacted reporters just after noon on Thursday.

Kelly’s late night ruling is valid for 14 days, and it was unclear as of Thursday if the Trump administration was planning an appeal.

Trump in a social media post earlier this week cast doubt on his chances of defeating the news outlets’ suit, writing “almost without question and, as usual, we’ll go for appeal because Fake News people and publications that only write negatively, and who violate our National Security by writing false and defamatory stories with unknown ‘sources,’ shouldn’t be allowed access to the most important Office anywhere in the World.”