US federal court lifts Trump administration's White House entry ban on journalists from CNN, MS NOW, Politico

A US federal court has dealt a major blow to the administration of President Donald Trump, immediately setting aside the ban on entry to the White House imposed on journalists from well-known news organisations. In his ruling, the judge said the administration's move was a direct violation of the basic rights guaranteed by the US Constitution and of press freedom.

For some time, representatives of major media organisations such as CNN, MSNBC and Politico had been barred from entering the White House. The administration had abruptly cancelled the "hard passes", the identity cards that allow entry to the White House, of these journalists. The news organisations challenged the decision in court. After a hearing, US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a preliminary injunction and reopened the White House to the journalists.

In his 26-page ruling, Judge Kelly made strong observations on the stand taken by the Trump administration. The court made clear that cancelling the journalists' entry passes curtails the rights granted under the First Amendment and the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution. The First Amendment covers freedom of expression and of the press, while the Fifth Amendment includes the right to due process of law.

During the hearing, the Department of Justice of the Trump administration had argued that the journalists' passes were cancelled for reasons of national security and on security concerns. Judge Kelly rejected this argument of the administration in its entirety.

The judge wrote in his ruling that there was no evidence on record that President Trump or his administration had mentioned national security anywhere when the decision was first taken. On the contrary, according to Trump, the reporting of these organisations was "biased and wrong", and this was the only reason the ban was imposed. The invocation of national security, therefore, proves to be an argument constructed later to justify the action.

The court's ruling has strengthened the claim that the administration's action was driven by political vindictiveness. The judge remarked that the restrictions must have been imposed to target the media organisations that had reported critically on President Trump's policies and decisions.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico had fought a legal battle against the administration's decision. The media organisations had argued in court that cancelling journalists' passes without prior notice and without following any legal process goes against democratic values.

The ruling has given a big boost to free journalism in the United States. Its message is clear: whether a president or any other senior official, none can restrict the constitutional rights of journalists. Following the court order, representatives of the three media organisations will now be able to enter the White House again and report officially.