Major News Outlets File Lawsuit Against Trump Over White House Access Ban

CNN, MS NOW, and Politico are taking President Donald Trump to court to overturn a complete ban on their access to the White House.

The lawsuit comes after White House security turned away journalists from all three news organizations on Saturday. Agents from the Secret Service blocked reporters from entering the grounds and confiscated their official press passes following an announcement by President Trump on Friday that he intended to bar these outlets from the building.

The news organizations filed a joint emergency request asking a federal judge to step in immediately, return their credentials, and stop the administration from taking further actions to restrict their access. Along with the companies themselves, three White House correspondents, CNN’s Betsy Klein, MS NOW’s Akayla Gardner, and Politico’s Cheyenne Haslett, are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The complaint names President Trump, White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, Communications Assistant Steven Cheung, and Secret Service Director Sean Curran as defendants.

The lawsuit states that removing press access without prior warning or established procedures violates both due process rights and First Amendment protections. The filing argues that the administration is engaging in viewpoint discrimination by targeting journalists over coverage it views unfavorably.

"This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles," the legal complaint states.

In a joint statement released Monday morning, the three media companies outlined the stakes of the legal fight: "This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes."

The statement added, "Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference."

President Trump offered a broad explanation for his decision, pointing to what he characterized as "cumulative stories" published by the outlets over recent years, while accusing them of writing "fiction or lies." In posts on social media and comments to reporters, he suggested additional news organizations could face similar restrictions, explicitly singling out The New York Times and The Washington Post. When asked about potential judicial pushback on Friday, Trump remarked, "I think it’s good to point it out, whether it survives or doesn’t."

The access restrictions have already altered day-to-day news operations. Over the weekend, the White House pulled CNN from its scheduled position as the television pool network covering the president’s travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. In addition, reporters from CNN and MS NOW remain unable to access their assigned physical workspaces or make use of camera positions on the White House grounds.

Legal experts and press advocates have widely criticized the move. Executive Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute, Jameel Jaffer, noted that long-standing constitutional principles prevent the executive branch from retaliating against news outlets over the tone of their reporting: "The First Amendment prohibits the president from punishing journalists because he doesn’t like their coverage, just as it prohibits him from punishing universities because he doesn’t like the courses they offer, or from punishing law firms because he doesn’t like the clients they represent."

Jaffer added, "With so many courts having ruled against him on exactly this point, you’d think President Trump would have learned this lesson by now."

The White House Correspondents’ Association also spoke out against the ban. Association President Jacqui Heinrich stated, "The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favorably."

Heinrich noted, "That’s why courts have repeatedly held that once the White House provides access to journalists, it cannot deny that access arbitrarily or based on the content of their reporting."

In response to the action, MS NOW emphasized the public nature of the executive mansion, stating on Saturday that "The White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars."

The network added that "MS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy," pledging to "continue to report on the President, the administration, and the issues that impact the American people."

In a separate statement, CNN confirmed that its core reporting efforts would remain unchanged despite the physical barriers: "CNN’s mission to report on the U.S. government will continue regardless of any attempts to restrict physical access to the White House and other government buildings, or any other attempts to impede our journalism."

The lawsuit draws on decades of legal precedent regarding White House access, including a landmark 1977 federal appeals court decision involving reporter Robert Sherrill, which established that credentials cannot be denied based on speech content. The filing also points to recent cases from Trump's previous term—such as lawsuits involving reporter Jim Acosta and Playboy journalist Brian Karem—as well as ongoing litigation filed by The Associated Press over restrictions to specific White House areas.

The lawsuit is currently before the U.S. District Court in Washington, where a judge could schedule initial hearings on the emergency request this week. Neither the White House, the Department of Justice, nor the Secret Service immediately answered requests for comment on the court action.