Justice Department asks court to deny emergency restoration of the outlets’ White House access
United States Department of JusticeFederal defendants’ counsel in Cable News Network, Inc. et al. v. Trump et al.
The Department of Justice asked the court to deny CNN, MS NOW, and Politico immediate restoration of White House access. The filing argues that the preliminary pass revocations rest on asserted professionalism, decorum, and national-security concerns and that the outlets have a chance to contest the decision by September 25.
“The Court should therefore deny Plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary restraining order.”
Original text
Where this statement fits
Should President Trump bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over their coverage?
On Friday, September 18, 2026, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that, "effective immediately, I am banning" CNN, MS NOW and Politico "from the White House as a result of their constant 'reporting' FAKE NEWS!" About an hour later, in the Oval Office, he said no particular story prompted the decision, that he does not want the outlets "in my office," and that "somebody has a right to keep them away" if outlets write false stories. The three outlets and press-freedom groups oppose the exclusion, citing constitutional protection for the press, and the White House Correspondents' Association said it "stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW, and POLITICO." On Saturday, September 19, MS NOW, CNN and Politico said their White House reporters were refused entry and had press passes confiscated; the White House referred questions to Trump's earlier remarks. The dispute is over whether President Trump should exclude named news organizations from White House access over what they report.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
A 19-page Department of Justice filing in the outlets’ White House-access case. The filing describes the defendants’ legal position and the factual assertions they advance; it does not independently establish those assertions.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico had sued after their reporters were refused entry and their hard passes were revoked following President Trump’s announcement that he was barring the outlets over their coverage.
After the quotation
The court had set a September 23 hearing on the outlets’ request for a temporary restraining order. The filing says the outlets may submit a response to the White House’s preliminary decision by 5:00 PM on September 25.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The Department of Justice’s filing asks the court to leave the preliminary revocations in place and advances legal and factual arguments for them. That supports the exclusion rather than merely describing it.
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- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- CNN, MS NOW, Politico
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The Dispute Index. "Justice Department asks court to deny emergency restoration of the outlets’ White House access". First published: 2026-09-23. Last updated: 2026-09-23. https://disputeindex.com/events/1535-the-department-of-justice-asked-the-court-to