WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to preserve White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico while the outlets’ constitutional challenge to their ban continues.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday, replacing the temporary restraining order he issued September 24. The new order remains in effect while the lawsuit proceeds unless an appeals court intervenes.

The ruling is not a final judgment on the legality of the September 18 ban. At this stage, Kelly found the outlets are likely to succeed on their free-speech and due-process claims and would face irreparable harm without continued access.

What the injunction does

The administration cannot enforce its decision to revoke the White House “hard pass” credentials held by employees of the three organizations. Those passes allow journalists who regularly cover the president to enter the White House complex without seeking permission for each visit.

The Associated Press reported that 78 reporters across the three organizations were affected. The injunction keeps their access in place while the court considers the underlying case; it does not resolve the lawsuit or prevent an appeal.

Why the judge intervened

President Donald Trump announced the ban on social media and criticized the outlets’ reporting. The organizations sued, arguing they were punished for coverage the president disliked and lost access without adequate notice or an opportunity to respond.

The Justice Department defended the restrictions on national-security and misinformation grounds. Kelly concluded that the government’s national-security rationale emerged after the ban and was not supported by the record before him, according to Reuters and AP. He also said the ruling should not be read as dismissing every concern the president raised about accuracy or national security.

The case continues

The White House restored the journalists’ access after the September temporary order. The preliminary injunction now maintains that arrangement through the litigation, subject to any ruling by an appeals court.

The case is Cable News Network, Inc. et al. v. Trump et al., No. 1:26-cv-03287, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The public court record identifies CNN, MS NOW and Politico, their corporate owners and three reporters as plaintiffs.

Sources: Reuters, October 14 at 3:12 a.m. UTC; The Associated Press, October 14; U.S. Government Publishing Office case record; September 24 temporary restraining order.

Lead image: White House north facade by Martin Falbisoner / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. File photograph from September 3, 2013; not a photograph of the October 13 ruling.