3 news outlets still barred from White House despite order, request new hearing

Bart Jansen and Joey Garrison, USA TODAYThu, September 24, 2026 at 1:32 PM UTC

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WASHINGTON – Three media outlets that President Donald Trumpbanned from the White House have asked for an immediate hearing after reporters were blocked from returning to the campus Sept. 24 even after a judge ruled that the revocation of their credentials probably violated the Constitution.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, ordered the administration to respond to the allegations by 12:30 p.m. ET. Kelly had ordered the White House to reinstate the credentials temporarily while the news outlets continue to fight the revocation in court.

Trump announced Sept. 18 he was revoking credentials for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, accusing the reporters of publishing inaccurate stories and threatening national security. But Kelly found no evidence from before the revocation that the ban stemmed from national security concerns.

Reporters for the three organizations said they continued to be blocked from entering White House grounds on Sept. 24 despite Kelly’s order. Theodore Boutrous, a lawyer representing the media outlets, asked Kelly to hold a hearing "as early as possible this morning" as he seeks to restore their credentials.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment when asked whether it is still enforcing the ban despite the judge’s order.

What is the White House press pool? How Trump's ban affects coverage

White House TV poll refuses to cover Xi Jinping arrival

As the White House refused to comply with the judge’s order, the White House television pool – made up of CNN, Fox News, ABC, CBS and NBC – refused to cover Trump during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival for a state visit. The rotating pool, which on Sept 24 was occupied by ABC, has suspended their pool coverage in solidarity with CNN since Trump issued the ban.

This pool is composed of a small group of reporters from television, print and radio outlets given close face-to-face access to the president during events. The pool includes one network camera crew, which broadcasts a television feed that is shared with other networks.

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Hundreds of reporters from China at White House, but banned outlets denied

While no reporters from the banned outlets appeared to be on the White House grounds, hundred of reporters from China were at the White House to follow Xi’s meeting with Trump. The addition of the Chinese reporters created a crowded scene in the media areas of the West Wing.

CNN said its reporter Betsy Klein and a photojournalist were denied access to the White House grounds after multiple attempts, but a producer was allowed onto the grounds.

MS NOW White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López said on air that she was similarly denied entry and had her badge confiscated. Politico also said one of its reporters was barred. An MS NOW cameraman was setting up equipment for live shots across the street from the White House by a Peet’s Coffee shop.

What did Judge Kelly rule overnight?

Judge Kelly said in his order he was restoring the credentials for 14 days because they had been revoked without “constitutionally adequate due process.”

"For one thing, nothing in the record that predates this suit suggests that the revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes was motivated by national security concerns," wrote Kelly, who ruled in 2018 against Trump suspending another CNN reporter’s credentials.

Kelly also said he is bound by a 1977 precedent, when a federal appeals court ruled that the White House cannot arbitrarily deny press passes to reporters based on the content of their coverage if the White House has voluntarily opened its doors to media and established facilities for the press.

Trump has said he would appeal the ruling.

The organizations have continued to report on Trump and the White House, but haven’t been allowed on the grounds.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 3 news outlets still barred from White House despite order, request new hearing

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