📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Papin, Joseph
International
US judge lifts Trump-era White House ban on CNN, MSNBC and Politico
✍️ The Indian Express
🗓 24 Sep 2026, 06:37 PM
👁 16
A federal judge in Washington has overturned the Trump administration’s 2020 order that barred CNN, MSNBC and Politico from White House press briefings.
A Washington federal judge has rescinded the 2020 directive issued by the Trump administration that prohibited CNN, MSNBC and Politico from attending White House press briefings. The ruling effectively restores the three outlets’ access to the daily briefings held by the White House press secretary.
The ban, imposed after the media’s coverage of the administration’s handling of the COVID‑19 pandemic and other issues, was the first time a sitting president formally barred major news organizations from the briefing room. By lifting the restriction, the court reaffirms the principle that the press corps should not be arbitrarily excluded from official government communications.
White House officials have not yet issued a formal comment on the judge’s decision, but the move is expected to reopen the briefing room to a broader range of journalists and could influence how future administrations manage media access.
The decision underscores ongoing legal scrutiny of executive actions that affect press freedom, a topic that continues to draw attention from media watchdogs and civil‑rights groups.
The ban, imposed after the media’s coverage of the administration’s handling of the COVID‑19 pandemic and other issues, was the first time a sitting president formally barred major news organizations from the briefing room. By lifting the restriction, the court reaffirms the principle that the press corps should not be arbitrarily excluded from official government communications.
White House officials have not yet issued a formal comment on the judge’s decision, but the move is expected to reopen the briefing room to a broader range of journalists and could influence how future administrations manage media access.
The decision underscores ongoing legal scrutiny of executive actions that affect press freedom, a topic that continues to draw attention from media watchdogs and civil‑rights groups.