Judge Timothy Kelly extends White House access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, rules Trump likely broke the law

US District Judge Timothy Kelly extended a preliminary injunction that restores White House access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, ruling that President Donald Trump likely broke the law by banning those outlets.

In a written decision elaborating on his September 24 emergency order, Kelly concluded the ban reflected unlawful viewpoint discrimination and said the injunction would remain in place until he issues a final judgment or an appeals court intervenes.

The judge wrote that the ban appeared to rest on Trump’s view that the outlets were biased and inaccurate rather than on national security grounds. Kelly also said his ruling should not be read as declaring the president’s complaints meritless.

Kelly’s October 13 decision expands on the temporary relief he granted on September 24, when he ordered immediate reinstatement of the journalists’ access after finding the ban likely violated their constitutional due process rights.

The written opinion frames the legal dispute as one over whether a sitting president may exclude particular news organisations from White House access on the basis of their editorial viewpoint. Kelly used the term "unlawful viewpoint discrimination" to describe the remarks by President Trump that underpinned the ban.

The news organisations and press freedom groups that brought the lawsuit argued the exclusion was unconstitutional retaliation that infringed both First Amendment protections and due process. Kelly’s order preserves those organisations’ press credentials for now while the litigation continues toward a final judicial determination.

The judge specified the injunction will stay effective until he issues a final ruling or an appeals court lifts the order, a procedural guardrail that keeps the status quo in place during further proceedings. The Straits Times reported the written decision and noted the legal battle is unfolding in the run-up to the November 3 elections.

Other outlets published headlines confirming the judge extended the order allowing CNN, Politico and MS NOW continued White House access. The coverage frames the dispute as one about the limits of presidential authority over press access and the constitutional protections for journalists.

Kelly’s written opinion ties the ban explicitly to President Trump’s public statements about the outlets’ accuracy and bias, and it separates those motivations from national security justifications.

For now, the practical effect is that the three news organisations retain their White House access while the court works toward a final ruling or until an appeals court changes the injunction’s status. The litigation is ongoing, and Kelly’s extension keeps the issue before the federal courts rather than being resolved through White House action.