<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/media/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Media</a> outlets that were previously banned by President <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/donald-trump/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a> were permitted back on White House grounds on Thursday after a federal judge ordered the reinstatement of their press credentials. Earlier in the day, these outlets had been denied access despite the court order.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Reporters from MS Now, <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/cnn/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CNN</a>, and <em><a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/politico/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Politico</a></em> reported that they regained access to the White House property shortly after noon, following an emergency order filed by the media outlets requesting a hearing. U.S. Judge Timothy Kelly issued a ruling that temporarily halted the administration’s ban on these outlets for 14 days.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Micah Stopperich, director of <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/section/news/white-house/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">White House</a> press operations, stated in a court filing that personnel were instructed to restore the outlets’ credentials at 7:10 a.m. The Secret Service reactivated badges around 9:07 a.m. and began searching for the confiscated credentials. Stopperich noted that the press team delivered the badges to the entry gate for reporters to collect around 9:55 a.m.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">ABC News was designated as the White House TV pool for Thursday but reportedly suspended its coverage until CNN reporters were allowed access. This incident occurred while Trump was hosting Chinese President <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/xi-jinping/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Xi Jinping</a>, who was in Washington, D.C., for a state visit.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump had announced a ban on the three outlets the previous week, accusing them of disseminating “fiction and lies.” On Saturday, the outlets reported that their press credentials had been deactivated, preventing them from accessing the White House grounds.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/4737531/judge-orders-white-house-temporarily-restore-media-access-blocked-outlets/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">JUDGE ORDERS WHITE HOUSE TO RESTORE MEDIA ACCESS TEMPORARILY FOR BLOCKED OUTLETS</a></strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The outlets subsequently filed a lawsuit, arguing that the ban infringed upon the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/first-amendment/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">First Amendment</a>. In the early hours of Thursday, Judge Kelly, who was appointed by Trump, temporarily halted the ban, deeming it unconstitutional. He directed the White House to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” the journalists’ press credentials.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump had claimed that the ban was instituted for national security reasons; however, Judge Kelly expressed skepticism regarding this justification, noting that Trump’s comments about the ban seemed to focus more on disagreement with the coverage than on national security concerns.</p>