A US federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's ban on three news outlets—CNN, MS NOW, and Politico—from accessing the White House. Judge Timothy J. Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order, ordering the administration to immediately restore the outlets' credentials.

In his ruling, Kelly stated that the outlets were likely to succeed in their legal challenge, as they were stripped of access without due process and would suffer "irreparable harm" without the order. He also cited the public interest in protecting a free press.

The Trump administration had claimed the ban was necessary to protect national security, but Kelly rejected this argument, noting a lack of "factual support." "Defendants offer no declarations or other support—classified or unclassified—explaining how any of the reporting they identified damaged national security," Kelly wrote.

Theodore Boutrous, the lawyer representing the outlets, welcomed the ruling as a vindication of "freedom of the press, due process and the rule of law." The White House has not yet responded to a request for comment.

The ban was announced last Friday by President Trump, who accused the outlets of producing "fake news" and "negative news" aimed at diminishing his administration and the Republican Party. On Monday, the three outlets filed a joint lawsuit, arguing the ban violated their free speech and due process rights.

Source: www.aljazeera.com