A Trump-appointed federal judge on Tuesday night handed a major victory to the Fake News industrial complex, blocking President Donald Trump’s effort to ban CNN, MS NOW (the rebranded failure formerly known as MSNBC), and Politico from the White House.
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, appointed by Trump in 2017, granted a preliminary injunction that indefinitely maintains access for reporters from the three outlets. The order prevents administration officials (except the President himself) from enforcing the September 18, 2026, revocation of their “hard pass” credentials while the lawsuit proceeds. Plaintiffs were required to post a laughable $1 nominal bond.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump announced the ban on Truth Social on September 18, stating he was “proud to announce that, effective immediately,” he was banning the outlets “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS.”
He specifically called out MS NOW’s name change due to “lack of viewership and credibility” and Politico’s “illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription” from the Biden administration—“an All Time Record… to keep them ‘alive.’ Seems like corruption to me!”
Trump warned that “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow” and argued media should not be allowed to constantly report “FICTION and LIES” about the President, the administration, or the country.
When asked the next day about a “particular reason,” Trump said it was “really just cumulative stories over the last two years” of outlets that “purposely write negative news” to “diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration.” He added he would “love it” if they “could straighten themselves out.”
The outlets sued, alleging Fifth Amendment due process violations and First Amendment retaliation and viewpoint discrimination.
Kelly, who previously ruled in favor of Jim Acosta’s hard pass in 2018, found the plaintiffs likely to succeed on all three claims.
In a 26-page decision, Kelly cited D.C. Circuit precedent (Sherrill v. Knight and Karem v. Trump) holding that hard passes create a protected liberty interest requiring adequate process, including advance notice of standards and sanctions.
The court emphasized Trump’s own statements as evidence of a causal link between the outlets’ negative coverage and the ban.
Kelly wrote that “President Trump likely banned Plaintiffs from the White House because he believes that their reporting is generally inaccurate and biased against him.”
He rejected the administration’s later national security justifications as “post-hoc,” noting Trump’s initial announcement and follow-up comments focused on “Fake News,” negativity, and election coverage rather than classified information.
Even while ruling against the administration, Kelly wrote: “no one should interpret the Court’s decision to suggest that President Trump’s concerns about accuracy and fairness in the media’s reporting are unfounded, or that the government is powerless when its true aim is to protect national security when classified information is unlawfully disclosed.”
This is not the first time Judge Kelly has ruled against the Trump White House in a high-profile press-access dispute.
In November 2018, Kelly ordered the administration to temporarily restore CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s White House press credential after an explosive confrontation during a presidential press conference.
Now, nearly eight years later, Kelly has again intervened in a dispute between Trump and CNN.
As The Gateway Pundit reported on September 24, Kelly previously issued a temporary restraining order restoring White House access to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico.
That order required administration officials, excluding Trump personally, to reinstate press credentials that had been revoked around September 18.
Trump has previously said the case would likely go to appeal because outlets that “only write negatively” and traffic in unnamed sources “shouldn’t be allowed access to the most important Office anywhere in the World.”
The post Trump-Appointed Judge Hands Fake News CNN, MS NOW, and Politico Indefinite White House Access – Blocks President’s Ban in Preliminary Injunction appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.