CNN, MS NOW and Politico have updated their lawsuit against President Trump, seeking the full restoration of their White House access after being expelled from the grounds in September. The news organizations are asking a federal judge to restore their access to the White House pools—the smaller, rotating groups of reporters that cover the president in spaces like the Oval Office or Air Force One. An earlier version of their lawsuit focused on their access to the larger White House property. The filing is the latest twist in a fast-moving case that got underway in September when the three outlets sued the White House in federal court over their exclusion from the complex, claiming it was a violation of their First Amendment and due process rights. They argued in the filing on Wednesday that “the president’s ban and the White House’s continued exclusion of plaintiffs from certain fora are unlawful retaliation for protected First Amendment activity.”
Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Mr. Trump nominated in his first term, issued an order this month mandating the restoration of the journalists’ credentials while their court challenge continues. That ruling did not restore the three outlets’ journalists to their reporting pool rotations. In recent weeks, the White House has repeatedly barred CNN journalists from the network’s longstanding participation in the TV pool, a partnership consisting of ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News and NBC News that provides immersive videotaped coverage of the president. According to Wednesday’s filing, Politico and MS NOW have been excluded from their own pool rotations as well. A White House official said in a statement that journalists do not have a constitutional right of access to the Oval Office, Air Force One or other “private” spaces. The media outlets argue that blocking their journalists from pool rotations violates the same First Amendment and due process protections as the initial move to bar them from the White House grounds. CNN sent a letter to the White House last week demanding that it abandon the exclusion of CNN from its pool duties. The White House did not respond, according to the filing. The three outlets find themselves in an access bind similar to that of The Associated Press, whose journalists were ousted from the pivotal White House press pool in February 2025. It sued to restore that access and won a favorable ruling from another federal judge and Trump nominee, Trevor McFadden. The White House appealed that case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and a ruling could arrive at any time.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing