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Free Speech

Free Speech Unmuted: Can the President Kick Reporters out of the White House?

Eugene Volokh | 9.28.2026 12:23 PM

When President Trump moved to bar CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House over "biased" coverage, it set off a fast-moving legal showdown. My co-host Jane Bambauer I break down why the law was surprisingly clear-cut. Drawing on a 50-year-old D.C. Circuit precedent and a fresh ruling on Oval Office access, they explain the crucial distinction between the press briefing room (a forum where reporters can't be excluded based on viewpoint) and the Oval Office (the president's own turf, where he can talk to whomever he wants). Plus: the due process twist that let a judge sidestep the First Amendment question entirely, the White House's slow-motion........

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