A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore White House access to journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico, saying his ban on the three media outlets was likely unconstitutional.
US district judge Tim Kelly issued his order in a lawsuit that the news organizations filed contesting the ban that the president announced on 18 September.
Kelly ordered the Trump administration to immediately return the outlets’ press passes and issued a temporary restraining order that will be in effect for 14 days. Such orders are typically designed to preserve the status quo pending a closer review of the case by the court.
Earlier on Wednesday Kelly cited past case law that clearly laid out the need for a distinct process that involved advance notice of an infraction and the opportunity to plead one’s case.
Didn’t change anything. They were refused entry today.
Trump had said on social media that the three outlets “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES,”
JFC. The irony of him saying this, is just too far off the charts.
And also writing fiction and lies in no way requires a White House press pass; if that was what they wanted to do, they could do it equally well from anywhere in the world.
If that’s what they were doing, the way to actually stop them would be to sue them for libel, as he well knows.
On the other hand, that’s a free pass to never quote him, right?
