CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, September 21, 2026, seeking to overturn a ban that bars their journalists from the White House. The legal challenge follows the revocation of press credentials for staff from all three organizations, which the outlets argue violates the First Amendment. The lawsuit names President Trump, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, spokesperson Steven Cheung, and Secret Service chief Sean Curran as defendants.
The litigation follows a Friday announcement by Mr. Trump on Truth Social, where he stated he was barring the three outlets due to what he characterized as "fake news." On Saturday, September 19, 2026, reporters from the organizations were denied entry at the White House gates, and in at least two instances, U.S. Secret Service agents confiscated their press badges. The White House has previously engaged in similar disputes, including a 2018 case involving CNN reporter Jim Acosta and a restriction on The Associated Press last year.
In a joint statement, the news organizations described the ban as a direct assault on the First Amendment and requested that a Washington, D.C., judge move quickly to restore their access. Mr. Trump defended the decision on Monday, posting that the administration is targeting "fake news" rather than the free press. He previously told reporters there was no single incident that prompted the ban, citing instead a "cumulative" history of stories he viewed as lacking credibility.
The legal outcome will clarify the extent of the executive branch's authority to manage access to the White House. While a previous ruling in the Jim Acosta case supported a journalist's Fifth Amendment due process rights, a separate appellate ruling involving The Associated Press allowed the administration to restrict access to narrower spaces like Air Force One and the Oval Office. This case tests whether the administration can legally implement an outright ban from generally open spaces like the White House briefing room based on the tone of an outlet's coverage.
What happens next depends on U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who has been assigned the case and previously ruled against the administration in the 2018 Acosta lawsuit. The news organizations are seeking an immediate injunction to restore their credentials. If the ban remains in place, the White House may continue to exercise direct control over the press pool rotation, a system that determines which journalists are permitted to document presidential movements for the rest of the media. No specific court date for a hearing was reported.