After being barred from White House grounds, prominent news organizations—including CNN—have sued President Donald Trump and senior administration officials. The legal action contends that the ban directly violates constitutional protections for freedom of speech and freedom of the press under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The media coalition has asked a federal court in Washington to issue an emergency temporary restraining order to block Trump’s directives, with expedited hearings potentially starting as early as this week.
1+“If left unchallenged, this would threaten the freedom of the press and the public’s right to an independent press free from government interference,” the news organizations declared in a joint statement. “It is not the role of the government to determine what the press covers or publishes.”
President Trump announced the exclusion over the weekend on social media platforms, arguing that the targeted news organizations represent a national security risk. “The White House is not leading an assault on the free press, something I cherish. It is leading an assault on ‘fake news,'” the President wrote. “This is a threat to our National Security, and it must be stopped, NOW!” he added.
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During his first term in office, Trump similarly sought to revoke or suspend the White House press credentials of two CNN correspondents. In those instances, federal judges ruled against the administration and ordered the immediate restoration of their press credentials.