Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a quick donation.

A federal judge has ruled that media outlets suing the Trump administration over its attempt to ban them from White House grounds are likely to prevail in their arguments, and has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the ban while the case proceeds.

But while that early morning TRO was meant to take effect immediately, several reporters from the news agencies targeted by the ban — CNN, MS NOW, and Politico — said they were still being blocked from entering the White House hours later.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, ordered a 14-day TRO on the president’s ban, which was announced in a Truth Social post last Friday.

Lawyers for the Department of Justice (DOJ) had argued in defense of Trump’s ban, claiming that access to the White House was a “privilege” and citing concern for “national security” to justify barring the news outlets from the grounds.

The DOJ echoed Trump’s claim in his Truth Social post that the outlets’ reporting on the administration was “FAKE NEWS.” Notably, Trump has a long history of describing news coverage he dislikes as “fake,” even when the reporting is factual.

DOJ Cites “National Security” to Defend Trump’s White House Ban on News Outlets

The DOJ cited specific examples of news articles they felt were problematic, in some cases citing the use of anonymous sources — but, as observers online noted, the sources for those stories were sometimes public record. Indeed, in one article cited by the Justice Department, the story’s source turned out to be Vice President JD Vance.

The use of anonymous sources is a regular journalistic practice, one that Trump himself has utilized when it served his needs.

Kelly recognized this point in his order, writing that the practices the DOJ complained about “are routine” for media.

The judge — who has ruled against Trump’s attempts........

© Truthout