White House reinstates access for banned reporters
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A news camera sits outside the White House on Sept. 23. Photo: Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images
Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were readmitted to the White House for the first time since Friday, hours after a judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately reinstate their credentials.
Why it matters: The reinstatement should mark the end of a broader press boycott that left the American public without key visual coverage of President Trump over the past few days.
State of play: As of 1pm ET, it was unclear whether television pool cameras would be in place to cover President Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
- The major networks in the rotating television pool were still waiting on confirmation from the White House that CNN would be allowed to manage those duties.
Catch up quick: CNN, MS NOW, and Politico on Monday filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the White House, arguing the president and the administration violated their rights by blocking their access over the weekend.
- Outlets that weren't banned but stood in solidarity with their peers vowed to suspend video and photo distribution until their peers' access was reinstated.
- The judge overseeing the hearing, Trump appointee Timothy J. Kelly, ruled early Thursday morning that the administration had likely violated the outlets' Fifth Amendment rights and granted a temporary restraining order mandating their access be restored for 14 days.
- In his ruling, Kelly said the plaintiffs "have shown a likelihood of success, at least on their Fifth Amendment procedural due process claim."
Zoom in: Later Thursday, reporters from the outlets were denied access despite the court order.
- CNN, MS NOW and Politico subsequently requested an immediate hearing, noting the urgency given Xi's scheduled visit to the White House.
- In a filing midday Thursday, director of White House press operations Micah Stopperich explained the administration were notified of the order to restore credentials at 7:10am ET and began that process at 7:25 am ET.
- He said the confiscated badges were available for reporters to pick up starting at 9:55am ET.
What's next: Kelly declined to hold a hearing Thursday and set a Sept. 28 deadline for plaintiffs to file for a preliminary injunction which would maintain the news outlets' access while the case is litigated.
- The brief order noted Kelly "intends to rule expeditiously on the motion for a preliminary injunction."
- The White House previously indicated it would appeal the ruling, but it can't legally do so for the next two weeks.
- If the case moves forward, the White House could seek an appeal. Kelly's decision doesn't address the plaintiff's First Amendment claims. Those are likely to be further litigated.
Disclosure: The author of this article is a paid contributor for CNN.
Editor's note: This story was updated throughout to reflect CNN, MS NOW and Politico have been reinstated.
