Judge Blocks Trump's White House Media Ban as Administration Appeals

President Donald Trump announced on September 18 that he was immediately banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, according to the court ruling published by Reason. The three news organizations challenged the ban in court.

The dispute also spread beyond the banned organizations. Other television networks temporarily suspended their participation in the White House press pool in protest, Reason reported. That pool supplies video widely used by news organizations.

On September 24, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued an emergency order blocking the ban, according to The Independent. That gave the journalists temporary protection while the court considered a longer-lasting injunction.

On October 11, the Justice Department said it was investigating five television networks for possible antitrust violations over the suspension of pool coverage, NBC News reported. The investigation concerns ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News, according to Deutsche Welle.

The department said it was examining whether the pool's actions violated the Sherman Act, CNBC reported. Antitrust experts questioned whether the department had a case, according to Deadline Hollywood on October 13. The investigation is not a finding that the networks broke the law.

In a ruling issued Tuesday and reported October 14, Kelly granted a preliminary injunction continuing to block the White House ban. He found that revoking the journalists' hard passes likely violated their First and Fifth Amendment rights, according to CBS Top Stories.

The administration then appealed. The Wrap TV reported on October 14 that Justice Department attorneys had formally appealed the ruling Wednesday.

The three organizations must continue to receive access to White House grounds while their lawsuit proceeds, according to Axios. The preliminary injunction replaces the earlier temporary protection, but it is not a final decision on the lawsuit.

The scope matters. The New York Times reported that the ruling ensures access to the grounds without resolving all of the organizations' access problems. The separate antitrust investigation also remains part of the broader dispute.

The next court development is the administration's appeal of the injunction, reported by Deadline Hollywood. The underlying lawsuit will determine whether the ban can survive a final legal review.

Separately, the Justice Department's investigation will test its claim that the networks' temporary withdrawal from pool coverage could violate antitrust law. The coverage reports an investigation, not charges or a court ruling on that question.