Judge orders Trump to restore CNN and other outlets' White House access

A federal judge ruled on October 14, 2026 that the U.S. government led by Donald Trump must allow CNN, MS NOW and Politico into the White House, CNN reported. The court order responds to the outlets' lawsuit against the access ban imposed by the administration.

U.S. District Judge Tim Kelly wrote in his ruling that the restriction applied to these outlets preliminarily violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of expression and of the press against government censorship.

The provisional decision requires the White House to restore press credentials while the legal dispute over the merits of the case proceeds. The access ban was part of recurring tensions between the administration and various media outlets critical of the official government.