Kathmandu. A U.S. federal court has ordered the Donald Trump administration to restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued the order on Thursday. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by the three media organizations challenging the administration’s decision to restrict their access to the White House. According to Reuters, the court preliminarily found that the administration’s action could be inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution.

Trump had barred the three media outlets from accessing the White House last week. In posts on social media, he accused the organizations of repeatedly publishing what he described as false news about him and argued that they should not be allowed access to the White House.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico challenged the restrictions in court, arguing that the denial of journalists’ access and the withdrawal of their press credentials violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Kelly questioned whether the administration had followed the required legal procedures before revoking the media organizations’ access. At the beginning of the hearing, he indicated that the administration appeared not to have followed proper procedures.

Attorney Theodore Boutrous, representing the media organizations, urged the court to immediately restore the journalists’ access. He argued that the administration’s decision amounted to discrimination based on viewpoint and said the restrictions had been imposed abruptly.

The U.S. Department of Justice, meanwhile, defended the administration’s decision, arguing that access to the White House is not an unrestricted right. Justice Department attorney Michael Velchik argued that access to the White House is a privilege rather than a constitutional right.

The Justice Department told the court that because the White House serves both as the U.S. president’s workplace and residence, the administration has an interest in establishing criteria for journalists seeking access and in protecting sensitive national security information.

The department also accused the three media organizations of failing to meet minimum standards of professional conduct and of publishing sensitive or classified information. However, the media organizations’ attorney argued that the national security rationale presented by the administration in court differed from the reason initially given by Trump for imposing the restrictions. According to the attorney, Trump’s original explanation was linked to his dissatisfaction with the three outlets’ reporting.

The dispute over the restrictions on the three media organizations has further intensified the debate between the Trump administration and the U.S. news media over press freedom and journalists’ access to the White House.

— ANI