Tuesday, September 22, 2026 - Major news organizations CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a joint lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging executive action that revoked press credentials for their reporters.
The legal challenge alleges violations of the First Amendment’s press freedom guarantees and Fifth Amendment due process protections after journalists were barred from the White House complex. In a united response, television networks participating in the rotating press pool simultaneously suspended pool video operations covering the president.
The lawsuit, assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, requests an expedited hearing to restore press access. Attorney Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., who is representing the plaintiffs, previously successfully litigated a 2018 White House credential revocation case involving CNN reporter Jim Acosta.
The current filing cites legal precedents, including a 1977 federal
court decision establishing that press passes cannot be denied based on the
content or viewpoint of a journalist’s reporting.
The legal confrontation stems from an announcement made Friday when President Trump declared he was barring the three outlets over coverage he described as “fake news”.
Enforcement began Saturday morning as
Secret Service personnel deactivated credentials and confiscated security
passes from journalists, including Betsy Klein of CNN, Akayla Gardner of MS
NOW, and Cheyenne Haslett of Politico. CNN was also removed from its scheduled
duties within the television press pool.
In a joint statement, the plaintiffs stated, “This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes”.
The news agencies asserted that credential revocations conducted “without notice or process” threaten “the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference”.
The television network pool members separately confirmed they halted pool coverage, emphasizing that “no administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting”
Administration officials defended the restrictions, maintaining that access to the executive complex remains at executive discretion. Vice President JD Vance told reporters, “He’s not banning media outlets.
What he’s doing is saying we’re not going to give you special access to the White House if you engage in what is effectively propaganda”. President Trump also addressed the matter on Truth Social, writing: “The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish.
It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America. It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!”
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