Judge says Trump press ban likely violates First Amendment

A federal judge has ruled that the White House must keep admitting reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico while their lawsuit against President Donald Trump proceeds, finding that the exclusion probably violates the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge Tim Kelly, whom Trump appointed during the first term, issued the decision Tuesday, just as an earlier order blocking the ban was due to lapse. The ruling opens the way for an administration appeal, CNN · CBS News reports.

Kelly concluded that Trump's own public explanations tied the revocation of the outlets' hard passes to their coverage, amounting to viewpoint discrimination. The judge also dismissed the Justice Department's argument that national security played a part, noting that the record showed no such reliance and that the government never identified which reported information was classified. Kelly cautioned that the decision does not leave the government powerless against unlawful disclosures of classified material.

The ban was announced September 18. Kelly earlier restored the passes on due process grounds, and found that letters the White House sent after the suit began did not cure the problem. Attorney Ted Boutrous said Trump has openly admitted punishing reporting that was disliked.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN · CBS News’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN · CBS News →