US federal judge Timothy Kelly has ruled that the administration of Donald Trump must allow journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico to access the White House while a lawsuit filed by the three media outlets is being considered.
CNN reported on Wednesday, October 14, that Kelly said Trump’s decision to bar the outlets from accessing the White House likely violated the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which protects freedom of speech and of the press.
The judge said evidence suggests the decision was likely driven by Trump’s dissatisfaction with the outlets’ reporting rather than national security concerns.
Kelly had previously ordered the reinstatement of the journalists’ White House access credentials.
In his latest ruling, he stressed that the White House’s subsequent explanations had not adequately addressed the legal problems with the restrictions.
Last month, Trump accused the three media outlets of publishing “fake and false” reports about his team and restricted their journalists’ access to the White House.
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