Trump's White House ban against CNN overturned by court order

The District Court of Columbia has ordered the immediate lifting of the ban imposed on journalists from three leading media organizations in the United States, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, from entering the White House, and to grant them temporary access for 14 days. With this court decision, the relevant journalists were once again allowed to enter the White House yesterday.

This order was issued to the relevant administration by US District Judge Timothy Kelly, who considered the petition filed by media organizations against the ban suddenly implemented by President Donald Trump last Saturday.

Before the court ruling, these journalists' attempts to enter the White House were thwarted, and Secret Service officers had seized the media credentials of several individuals, including CNN White House correspondent Betsy Klein. Lawyers for the media organizations argued in court that the White House had violated the order to return the journalists' credentials, but White House Director of Media Operations, Micah Stopperich, stated in a sworn declaration that based on instructions received by the operations team at 7:10 AM, the Secret Service reactivated the credentials by 9:07 AM and delivered them to the entrance by 10:00 AM.

Although Department of Justice lawyers attempted to justify the ban by alleging that the media organizations constantly spread false news and that their actions posed a threat to national security, Judge Timothy Kelly fully rejected these arguments. The judge pointed out that this action by the White House constituted a violation of the legal protections related to journalists' due process, emphasizing that it is essential to publish proper rules, provide prior notice, and explain the nature of the penalty before revoking a media pass. A hearing for a preliminary injunction regarding this incident, which has drawn strong criticism from media freedom advocates, is scheduled to take place within 14 days, and President Trump has stated on 'Truth Social' that he will appeal any court decision against him.