CNN, MS NOW, and Politico file lawsuit against White House over access issues

<p>CNN, MS NOW, and Politico announced on Monday that they will file a First Amendment lawsuit against the White House, claiming that the president and the administration violated their rights by blocking their access over the weekend.</p><p><strong>Background:</strong> The outlets contend that while many presidents have had contentious relationships with certain media, none have gone as far as to unilaterally block access.</p><hr /><p><strong>Details:</strong> The three news organizations informed the Justice Department of their intention to file a complaint when the courts open later on Monday morning. </p><ul><li>In their complaint, the plaintiffs argue that the White House infringed upon their First Amendment rights by blocking them in retaliation for their reporting and discriminating against their viewpoint, as well as violating their Fifth Amendment rights by banning them without due process.</li><li>They are seeking a court declaration that the ban is unconstitutional and have requested an injunction to prevent the enforcement of the ban and to restore their access to the White House.</li></ul><p><strong>Statements:</strong> In a joint statement, the three news organizations said, "This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes."</p><ul><li>They added, "Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists' credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference."</li></ul><p><strong>Context:</strong> The lawsuit represents a historic show of solidarity among the banned outlets as they and other newsrooms face increasing pressure from the Trump administration.</p><ul><li>Officials within the administration have argued that the president has the right to ban reporters from certain areas, while legal experts maintain that precedent supports the news outlets' position.</li><li>Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, stated, "Once a government official has opened up a space to journalists more broadly, then that official can't then say, 'But you can't come in because I don't like your reporting … because of your viewpoint.'" </li></ul><p><strong>Future developments:</strong> On Sunday, the White House released its weekly press pool rotation, which did not include CNN, the network responsible for carrying the video feed for the pool on Monday.</p><ul><li>This absence means there will be no video coverage of the president on that day, and potentially longer, depending on whether the court grants the plaintiffs an injunction.</li><li>The other four broadcasters sharing the video pool duty with CNN—ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX—have not yet commented on the situation.</li></ul><p><em>This is a developing news story.</em></p>