That’s a development I didn’t expect, given how the courts have combated the Trump White House. The media ban on CNN, Politico, and MSNBC, which have been banned from campus since September 18, will remain in effect. We know about the other major networks stopping pool coverage in a show of solidarity — Fox News joined the chorus. We know a lawsuit was filed, bracing for the inevitable slapdown by some district judge, because why should we expect any different, right? But that didn’t happen today. The media ban remains in effect for now (via NYT):
🚨 NOW: The judge has REFUSED to IMMEDIATELY reinstate CNN, MSNOW and POLITICO to the White House after the federal hearing concluded
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 23, 2026
Instead, the judge said he'll issue a ruling at some point
The White House RIPPED IN to these outlets for publishing NATIONAL SECURITY threats…
A federal judge on Wednesday declined to issue an immediate ruling on the White House’s ban against CNN, MS NOW and Politico after hearing arguments from the two sides in the case, leaving the ban in place for the time being.
Judge Timothy J. Kelly of U.S. District Court in Washington said he would rule “as soon as possible” on the ban.
The ban dates to last Friday, when Mr. Trump declared in a Truth Social post that he would bar CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House because of their reporting. On Saturday, journalists for each outlet were denied access to White House grounds, and by Monday, the outlets had sued the administration, arguing the ban was a violation of their First Amendment rights.
To express support for the banned outlets, other media companies pulled back from their routine coverage of presidential events. The television pool — five networks that share the responsibility of providing and distributing television coverage of the president — suspended that coverage starting Monday. The New York Times and The Washington Post also said they would limit publication of photos taken from the president’s events as part of a broader effort among journalists to boycott in support of the barred journalists. NPR stopped using audio from White House events, according to an internal memo viewed by The Times.
Judge Kelly seemed skeptical of the administration’s arguments in the hearing on Wednesday.
A lawyer for the media outlets, Theodore J. Boutrous, told the judge that Mr. Trump’s repeated statements that he had imposed the ban because he took exception to journalism from certain media organizations made him “our lead witness.” Mr. Boutrous said such a rationale infringes on the outlets’ constitutional rights. “He keeps proving our point,” Mr. Boutrous said.
A lawyer for the administration, Michael Velchik, countered that the outlets were embracing an “absurd interpretation of the First Amendment.” He said the affected outlets mistakenly thought they could “knowingly publish classified information” while still enjoying “privileged access to the White House complex.” He argued that access to the White House is a “privilege, not a right.”
So, the media and liberal America thought this ban would be tossed today. Not so fast, my friend.
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