Boutrous says the court was right to block the White House press ban
Theodore J. Boutrous Jr.Lead attorney for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, in a statement on the court's preliminary injunction ruling
Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., the lead attorney for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, said after the preliminary injunction ruling that the ban's harm to the outlets, the First Amendment and the public was profound, and that the court was right to block the White House from enforcing it for the foreseeable future.
“The harm this ban did to our clients, the First Amendment, and the public as a whole is profound ... The Court was right to enjoin the White House from enforcing this ‘unconstitutional ban on the free press’ for the foreseeable future.”
Reporting
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
Reporting
About this source
The Hill's report on Judge Timothy J. Kelly's October 13, 2026 preliminary injunction in the outlets' lawsuit, including a statement from their attorney, Theodore J. Boutrous Jr.
Before the quotation
Judge Timothy J. Kelly granted the outlets' motion for a preliminary injunction on October 13, 2026, finding them likely to succeed on their due process, retaliation and viewpoint discrimination claims.
After the quotation
We did not locate a White House response to the ruling as of October 14, 2026.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the White House ban that revoked CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists' hard passes over their coverage. Boutrous calls the ban's harm profound and says the court was right to block it as an unconstitutional ban on the free press, so we used Condemned. The closest competing label is Challenged characterization; it loses because he rejects the ban itself, not just how it was described.
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More from this case
Read the full caseTed Boutrous calls CNN's exclusion from Air Force One and the Oval Office unlawful
“These efforts to retaliate and discriminate against CNN based on the content of its news coverage are mistaken, counterproductive, and unlawful”Read statement
Freedom of the Press Foundation calls the ruling a "stinging defeat" for the press ban
Freedom of the Press Foundation
“This decision is a stinging defeat for Trump's assault on the free press and a powerful vindication of the First Amendment. As Judge Kelly recognized, presidents don't get to use their power to purge journalists because they don't like what they report.”Read statement
Reporters Committee says the injunction ends a "blatantly unconstitutional attempt" to punish news outlets
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
“The court has put an end to a blatantly unconstitutional attempt to punish news outlets for coverage the president doesn't like. The decision protects not only CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, but all the other holders of White House passes who continued to work under the threat of retaliation — and of course the public, which deserves timely and accurate information from a press corps free from government intimidation.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Boutrous says the court was right to block the White House press ban". First published: 2026-10-14. Last updated: 2026-10-14. https://disputeindex.com/events/5741-theodore-j-boutrous-jr-the-lead-attorney-for