A Trump-appointed federal judge briefly extended an order blocking the White House from barring three news outlets, keeping the fight over press credentials alive into next week.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said at the start of a hearing Thursday that an existing temporary restraining order would stay in effect for another two business days. The Hill reported the move after the order had been set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Thursday.
Kelly is weighing whether to issue a longer-lasting injunction. A ruling is expected by Tuesday. The dispute centers on a White House ban last month on reporters from CNN, Politico, and MS NOW covering the president.
President Trump moved against the three outlets over what he has called “fake news” that puts national security in danger. The administration barred their reporters from covering him. That is the core of the case now before the court.
Last month, Kelly handed down a 14-day temporary restraining order. It required the administration to restore press credentials right away for reporters from those three outlets. The short-term order is what he just extended.
At the opening of Thursday’s hearing, the judge put the timeline in plain terms.
"another two business days."
That keeps the prior order alive while he decides the next step. The extension is brief. It does not settle the larger fight over whether the White House can limit access for outlets it says endanger national security with false reporting.
Kelly, a Trump appointee, already forced the administration once to put the three outlets’ credentials back in place. Now he is deciding whether a longer injunction should follow the short restraining order.
The outlets at issue are CNN, Politico, and MS NOW. The White House action last month targeted their ability to cover the president. The court then stepped in with the 14-day order. Thursday’s hearing kept that order from lapsing at midnight.
No full case caption, docket number, or courtroom venue was laid out in the initial account of the extension. The operative facts are still the ones on the record: a ban tied to fake news and national security concerns, a 14-day order restoring credentials, an expiry set for late Thursday, a two-business-day extension, and a ruling expected by Tuesday.
Press access at the White House is not a blank check. Presidents of both parties have set rules for how the building and the press pool work. Trump has drawn a hard line against coverage he says is false and harmful to the country’s security. The three outlets want their credentials back through the courts. The administration wants the ability to police who covers the president when national security is on the line.
Kelly’s short extension buys time, not a final answer. By Tuesday, the same judge will have to decide whether a longer block on the ban is warranted, or whether the White House can again restrict outlets it says traffic in fake news that puts the nation at risk. Accountability for dishonest reporting is not optional in a serious government, and the court clock is still running.
