A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore White House access to journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico, saying his ban on the three media outlets was likely unconstitutional.
US district judge Tim Kelly issued his order in a lawsuit that the news organizations filed contesting the ban that the president announced on ۱۸ September. Kelly said the order must remain in place for ۱۴ days.
Earlier on Wednesday Kelly cited past case law that clearly laid out the need for a distinct process that involved advance notice of an infraction and the opportunity to plead one’s case.
The judge said that prior cases made clear that “before a journalist’s White House hard pass was suspended or revoked, that the journalist was entitled to pre-deprivation notice and an opportunity to be heard”.
Trump had said on social media that the three outlets “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES,” and justice department lawyers had sought to justify the ban on national security grounds.
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