WASHINGTON DC: A US federal judge on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump's administration to restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, ruling that the ban on the three news organisations was likely unconstitutional, Reuters reported.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, issued the order in a lawsuit filed by the three media organisations challenging Trump's decision to bar them from the White House.
According to Reuters, the ruling marks a setback for the Trump administration in its ongoing dispute with the media. Trump had announced the restrictions last week.
Trump had defended the decision on social media, arguing that the three outlets should not be permitted to repeatedly publish what he described as false reports.
The White House restrictions were challenged in court by CNN, MS NOW and Politico, which contested the administration's decision to revoke their access.
Kelly's order came after a hearing on Wednesday in which the judge had questioned whether the administration had followed proper due process before revoking the outlets' White House press credentials.
Kelly expressed scepticism during a hearing on the outlets' request to restore their access, saying near the beginning of the proceedings that due process "wasn't followed here".
The three organisations sued the administration on First Amendment grounds after their journalists were denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday and their hard press badges were revoked.
Representing the media organisations, attorney Theodore Boutrous urged Kelly on Wednesday to immediately restore the outlets' credentials, arguing that the administration's action amounted to "viewpoint discrimination" and saying the decision came "completely out of the blue."
"These are urgent matters," Boutrous told the judge.
"We're at war. World leaders are coming to Washington," he added, as quoted by The Hill.
The US Justice Department, meanwhile, defended the administration's position that access to the White House is not an unrestricted right.
"Access to the White House is a privilege, not a right," DOJ attorney Michael Velchik said during the hearing, as quoted by The Hill, adding that "at the very least, the president may exclude anyone he wants from the Oval Office." (ANI)
Also Read: CNN, MS now and Politico sue Trump administration over White House access ban