President Donald Trump’s administration is facing a legal challenge from CNN, MS NOW and Politico after the three news organisations sued over their exclusion from the White House.
Gatekeepers News reports that the outlets filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Monday, September 21, seeking the restoration of their journalists’ access and arguing that the administration’s decision violated their First Amendment rights. (Reuters)
The dispute began after Trump announced that the three organisations would be barred from the White House, accusing them of publishing what he described as “FICTION and LIES” about him, his administration and the United States.
The restrictions took effect on Saturday, when reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied entry to the White House grounds and had their press credentials confiscated. (The Washington Post)
In a joint statement, the three organisations said: “This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”
They added: “Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”
Trump Defends Decision
Trump has defended the restrictions, arguing that the affected organisations have treated his administration unfairly.
Speaking at an Oval Office event, he said: “It’s sick. I mean, there’s something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stuff.
“Now, if they want to write them, that’s fine. But I don’t have to let them into my, into the people’s house.”
The White House has maintained that access to the presidential complex is a privilege rather than an absolute right, while the three media organisations argue that their exclusion was retaliation for their reporting. (The Washington Post)
Legal Battle Over Press Access
The lawsuit places the dispute before a federal court, where judges will consider the extent of the administration’s authority to control media access to the White House.
The media organisations are relying partly on previous legal battles over White House press credentials, including the 1977 case Sherrill v. Knight, which established that while the government may impose reasonable rules governing access, journalists cannot be excluded arbitrarily.
The case has been assigned to US District Judge Timothy Kelly, who previously ordered the Trump administration in 2018 to restore CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s White House press pass after it had been revoked. (The Washington Post)
The current lawsuit seeks emergency relief to restore the journalists’ access while the broader legal dispute is considered.
CNN Removed From Presidential TV Pool
The ban has also affected the media’s pooled coverage of Trump’s activities.
CNN had been scheduled to serve as the television pool representative covering the president and accompany him to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Following the White House decision, CNN was removed from that assignment.
The other major television networks subsequently suspended pooled television coverage of presidential events, meaning there would be no designated television pool covering some of Trump’s activities. (The Washington Post)
The case therefore extends beyond the three organisations’ individual access to the White House and raises broader questions about the relationship between presidential control of media access and the constitutional protections afforded to the press.
With the lawsuit now before the courts, the dispute will test the legal limits of the administration’s authority to determine which news organisations can cover the president from inside the White House.
