Judge Timothy Kelly concluded a videoconference hearing on the lawsuit by CNN, MS NOW and Politico challenging the White House ban on their access, then said he would take the matter under advisement without issuing an immediate ruling.
The hearing, which was held Wednesday, addressed the news organizations’ request for a temporary restraining order to restore their White House access after the administration barred them from certain briefings and events, according to Reuters and Politico reporting.
Attorneys for the outlets argued the ban violated the First Amendment; the Justice Department urged the court to treat White House media access as a privilege that the government can limit, reporting said.
Judge Timothy Kelly told lawyers he would consider their arguments before deciding whether to grant emergency relief, and he did not issue an immediate order at the close of the hearing, Reuters reported.
The hearing followed the outlets’ filing seeking to restore full access after the White House removed them from pool coverage and certain events earlier this month, a development covered by regional and national outlets.
Legal analysts noted that Kelly previously ruled in favor of a reporter whose access had been restricted, a past decision cited by Politico as context for the current case.
What happens next: the judge will review briefing and arguments before issuing any order. If he grants emergency relief, the court could temporarily restore the outlets’ access while the case proceeds; if he denies it, the parties can appeal or seek further relief, outlets and legal reporting explained.
Sources
- Reuters — reported that Judge Timothy Kelly concluded the hearing without an immediate ruling and will consider arguments.
- Politico — provided details that the hearing was a videoconference and noted Kelly’s past ruling restoring a reporter’s White House access as context.
- WHEC/AP — covered that arguments were heard without an immediate ruling in the lawsuit over the White House ban.
- WPDE — reported the Justice Department’s argument that White House media access is a privilege the government can limit.
