Politics
A federal judge in the United States has ruled against President Donald Trump’s restrictions on three major media organizations, ordering the administration to immediately restore their access to the White House. According to Reuters,
A federal judge in the United States has ruled against President Donald Trump’s restrictions on three major media organizations, ordering the administration to immediately restore their access to the White House. According to Reuters, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said the decision to bar journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House could, at first glance, conflict with the Constitution. The judge also barred the administration from enforcing the restrictions for 14 days. The three media organizations were barred from access by President Trump on September 18 and subsequently challenged the decision in court. They argued that canceling their journalists’ press passes violated the First Amendment protections for freedom of speech and freedom of the press, as well as legal due-process requirements.
The Trump administration argued in court that granting access to the White House is a privilege controlled by the administration and that the president has the authority to restrict media access on national security grounds. However, Judge Kelly questioned this argument. He said the record presented to the court did not contain sufficient evidence to establish that canceling the press passes would protect national security or that restoring the journalists’ access would pose a threat to national security. Trump had criticized the three organizations on social media, saying they should stop continuously publishing or broadcasting “fiction and lies.” The White House cited the organizations’ reporting and concerns related to national security in explaining the restrictions.
During the hearing, Judge Kelly also pointed out that the journalists were not given adequate notice or an opportunity to present their side before their press passes were canceled. Referring to previous court rulings, he said proper legal procedures must be followed before the access of journalists holding permanent White House press passes can be terminated. Attorneys for the three media organizations told the court that their journalists’ press passes were suddenly revoked and that they were not given the legally required prior notice or an opportunity to challenge the decision. A Justice Department attorney, however, argued that the administration had provided an adequate explanation for the restrictions in letters sent on Tuesday. The judge noted, however, that those letters were sent after the press passes had already been canceled and after the lawsuit had been filed.
Other media organizations and press-freedom groups have also supported CNN, MS NOW and Politico in the legal dispute. Several media organizations, including the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, filed a joint legal brief with the court, arguing that journalists’ rights should not be restricted simply because a media organization’s reporting or editorial position is disliked. Reuters, The Washington Post and Fox News were among the organizations that also signed the filing. The court’s ruling today is not a final decision in the case. For now, the judge has ordered the White House to restore the journalists’ access and temporarily halted enforcement of the restrictions, while the legal proceedings in the case continue.
