Judge Restores White House Press Credentials for 3 Outlets

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore White House press credentials for CNN, MS NOW and Politico for 14 days, and reporters from the three organizations regained access around midday Thursday after being turned away earlier in the morning. The temporary order does not resolve the outlets’ lawsuit or determine whether their access will continue after it expires. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly found that the outlets were likely to succeed on their claim that their credentials had been revoked without constitutionally adequate due process. He directed the administration to return, reinstate and restore their hard passes while the case proceeds. The order requires officials to restore access unless the court changes it. The reporters initially could not enter the White House despite the order, prompting the outlets’ lawyers to seek an urgent hearing. They were allowed back onto the grounds around noon, and the planned hearing was not needed, according to reports of the court proceedings. White House press operations director Micah Stopperich said in a sworn declaration that his office received notice to restore access at 7:10 a.m.