US federal judge allows news organizations access to White House, blocks Trump’s decision in another setback | Today’s news
US federal judge Timothy Kelly on Tuesday (local time) granted relief to three news outlets by extending their access to the White House, saying that US President Donald Trump may have broken the law when he tried to ban reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
What did the federal judge say?
In his written decision, Kelly elaborated on his Sept. 24 emergency order to restore reporters’ access to the White House. News outlets and press freedom organizations say Trump violated the Constitution by retaliating against journalists whose reporting he did not like, the AP reported.
The federal judge went on to say that Trump’s ban affected a total of 78 reporters from three news organizations. He ordered the White House to resume “hard passes” on reporters.
A federal judge accepted the plaintiffs’ argument that the administration raised national security concerns only after it took action but failed to substantiate it. Kelly wrote that without a preliminary injunction, the stores “are likely to suffer irreparable harm and that the balance of equity and public interest will tip in their favor.”
He further said the White House gave prosecutors no warning that they were likely to lose their hard passes before Trump announced the decision on social media. Kelly wrote: “Revoking prosecutors’ tough clearances has a lot to do with how, whether and to what extent they can do their jobs,” adding: “President Trump’s own comments suggest he intended the revocation of prosecutors’ tough clearances to alter their reporting of him, bolstering the case that his actions here are enough to deter a regular tough reporter who had previously reported in the same way.”
In his overnight order, Kelly said, “No one should interpret the court’s decision to suggest that President Trump’s concerns about accuracy and fairness in media reporting are unfounded or that the government is powerless when its real goal is to protect national security when classified information is illegally released.”
Why did Trump revoke the credentials of journalists at the White House?
Trump announced last month that reporters from three news organizations would be blocked, saying they “should not be able to consistently write or report FICTION and LIES when they report on the President of the United States.” He has since defended the restrictions, describing their reporting as “negative” or “one-sided” and citing that criticism as a reason for denying reporters access to the White House.
News organizations are seeking a court order
Theodore Boutrous Jr., an attorney representing the three media organizations, welcomed the court’s decision, saying, “When the president issued his ‘free press ban,’ he blatantly and explicitly violated due process and the First Amendment. Boutrous added, “The harm this ban has done to our clients, the First Amendment, and the public at large is profound. The court correctly ordered the White House to enforce this ‘unconstitutional ban on a free press’ for the foreseeable future.”
The setback for the Trump administration comes weeks before US mid-term elections on November 3, as Republicans battle to retain control of Congress.
