A federal judge on Thursday temporarily extended his block on President Trump's effort to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said he would decide by next week whether to extend the pause further.
The extension comes after the two-week reprieve granted to the news outlets expired on Thursday. At the hearing, journalists argued their access should continue while the lawsuit plays out, which could take months. The government argued the president had the authority to ban the outlets while the case continues.
Thursday's hearing focused largely on whether the government took proper procedural steps before barring the companies. After the ban took effect, the White House sent letters to the three companies outlining the rationale and providing an opportunity to challenge it. The letter gave the outlets three days to send a written response if they wanted to contest the ban.
Judge Kelly's reprieve took effect before the White House's deadline for that response. None of the media companies sent one. Michael Velchik, a lawyer representing the White House, said the media outlets had "chosen not to defend themselves" because they did not respond.
Theodore J. Boutrous, a First Amendment lawyer representing the media outlets, called the White House's process a "sham" and argued the president had already made up his mind to ban the companies. The hearing focused on restoration of the news outlets' credentials for access to the White House grounds.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing