Judge Orders White House to Restore Access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico Reporters

On September 24, 2026, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, whose credentials had been suspended for several days prior to the ruling. The judge, Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee who previously served as counsel to Senator Charles E. Grassley, ruled against the administration's media ban. Following the order, at least one CNN reporter, Betsy Klein, was confirmed to have regained entry to the White House on September 24. Multiple outlets reported that the ban had also included suspension of the White House TV pool arrangement. The ruling and its aftermath coincided with President Trump hosting an elaborate White House ceremony for Chinese President Xi Jinping, which several outlets noted was covered under altered media-access conditions. Despite the judge's order, NBC News reported that some journalists from the three affected outlets continued to be denied entry to the White House even after the ruling was issued, indicating the administration had not fully complied with the directive in all instances. The legal dispute over the media ban remained ongoing as of the reporting period, with the judge's order described as a temporary measure rather than a final resolution. It remains unresolved how broadly and consistently the administration complied with the court's order, given NBC's report of continued access denials contrasted with other outlets confirming reporters had returned to the White House. The underlying legal proceedings regarding the permissibility of the ban had not concluded at the time of these reports.