Federal judge extends order halting White House press ban while considering long-term ruling

A federal judge extended a temporary order barring the White House from revoking access to CNN, MS Now, and Politico on Thursday, as he considered arguments from both the media and the Trump administration over the legality of the White House ban on journalists from those three outlets.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, an appointee of President Donald Trump, heard arguments in a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., regarding the lawsuit brought by CNN, MS Now, and Politico over Trump’s Sept. 18 announcement that journalists from the three outlets would be banned. The president claimed the outlets were “fake news” and “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States.” Kelly granted a temporary restraining order later that month, restoring the outlets’ access to the White House, and on Thursday appeared likely to grant a firmer order restoring access on a more permanent basis.