Three Outlets Seek Permanent Court Order Against White House Press Ban
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico argue that the administration continues to violate judicial rulings by excluding them from the presidential pool.
By Julia Novak ·
Three major news organizations have filed an amended lawsuit seeking to make a recent court order permanent. The order currently requires the White House to allow their reporters to cover President Donald Trump.
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico stated on Wednesday that the administration is ignoring previous directives from U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly. The outlets claim the White House continues to block their journalists from the rotating press pool. This pool covers the president in the Oval Office and on Air Force One.
The plaintiffs argue that the exclusions constitute retaliation for specific reporting. Their attorney, Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., said in a statement that the White House is blocking reporters from the locations where the president most frequently engages the press. The outlets maintain that this action violates their First Amendment rights to free speech.
The legal dispute centers on whether the executive branch can punish news organizations based on the content of their coverage. The plaintiffs label this practice as viewpoint discrimination. They argue that such discrimination is forbidden under the First Amendment.
Judge Kelly ruled in the plaintiffs' favor approximately two weeks ago. He expanded a prior temporary ruling that found the administration had violated the Fifth Amendment right to due process. On October 13, the judge also agreed with the First Amendment claim. He rejected the president's argument that the ban served policy goals like national security. Instead, Kelly determined the ban resulted from Trump's belief that the outlets' reporting was inaccurate and biased.
In his written opinion, Kelly described the government's action as unlawful. He wrote that taking action against specific types of speech or coverage is viewpoint discrimination. The new filing asks the court to lock in these findings permanently.
The plaintiffs noted that the White House had not responded to the amended lawsuit as of Thursday morning. The filing warns that other news organizations now face similar risks. It states that the public is deprived of complete information about its government when outlets are excluded from presidential events.
