After the decision that restored their access to the White House.. Afaq News and two media organizations move to prevent Trump from banning them again
- The news organizations targeted by U.S. President Donald Trump's attempt to ban them from entering the White House requested a federal judge on Monday evening to extend his order that temporarily restored their access, describing the ban as "an illegal assault on the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
New Face 24
·5 minutes read

- The news organizations targeted by President Donald Trump's attempt to bar them from entering the White House requested a federal judge on Monday evening to extend his order that temporarily restored their right to enter, describing the ban as an "illegal assault on the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution." The new lawsuit, filed by lawyers for Afaq News, MS NOW, and Politico, stated that the actions taken by the administration were "retaliatory" against the news organizations, even after the judge ordered the White House to allow them back in, only confirming that "the motive is to punish and intimidate the press that they do not like."
Last week, U.S. District Judge Tim Kelly issued a temporary restraining order requiring the White House to reactivate press credentials for journalists working at the three organizations, after they were suspended earlier this month, preventing journalists from entering the White House grounds. Kelly initially rejected the White House's claims that national security concerns prompted Trump to ban these organizations.
However, the judge - who was appointed by Trump during his first term - indicated that he would consider additional evidence explaining this alleged justification. But the media argued that even as the administration attempted to promote the national security argument in court, Trump and other officials stated that the ban was aimed at punishing negative media coverage.
The organizations stated: "President Trump continued to justify the ban by citing his hatred for the coverage of the plaintiffs and his administration, without even mentioning national security." The media also pointed to Attorney General Todd Blanche's appearance at a press conference on Sunday, where he described the national security threat as a result of "one-sided media coverage" from some outlets.
The media stated: "The real reason that the defendants imposed the ban - which has been expressed at the time and repeatedly since then - is that the president does not like what he considers to be 'negative' reports published by the plaintiffs." Judge Kelly's decision allowed the media to enter the White House for two weeks, and on Thursday, the press credentials that the administration had confiscated under the ban were restored and reactivated.
However, the administration refused to allow the Afq News network to accompany Trump on Air Force One during his trip to Tennessee on Saturday, as a member of the television coverage team assigned to follow him that day. It is worth noting that the White House television coverage team is a smaller group of news organizations that take turns covering the president's events and movements, which does not allow for all accredited journalists at the White House to have access.
The media organizations in their new lawsuit pointed to the coverage team's incident on Saturday to emphasize that "the White House continued to apply the ban in an unexpected and inconsistent manner." The media organizations stated: "The White House's words and actions leave no doubt that it would immediately reimpose a complete ban on Afq News, MS NOW, and POLITICO if given the chance."
Judge Kelly explained in his ruling regarding the temporary restraining order that legal precedents affirm the right of media to receive prior notice of the possibility of being banned and to be given an opportunity to contest the decision, making the White House's failure to do so a potential violation of the due process clause in the Constitution. In addition to the due process arguments, the media organizations are challenging the ban based on the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Judge Kelly's order expires on October 8, and the organizations are requesting a preliminary injunction that maintains their access to the White House while the case is pending in federal court in Washington, D.C. A preliminary injunction would also pave the way for Trump to contest the decision in order to reimpose restrictions on journalists' access.
The media organizations urged Judge Kelly to adopt a broader legal basis to keep Trump's ban suspended, emphasizing the alleged violations of the First Amendment, alongside the due process arguments they presented. The organizations wrote: "Because no artificial procedures, no matter how they are structured, can allow for the imposition of a 'ban on a free press' under the First Amendment, issuing a preliminary injunction based on the First Amendment prevents further 'maneuvering,' as the plaintiffs' attorneys warned during the hearing on the temporary restraining order."
When Trump announced his ban on news organizations on September 18, he said he was doing so because of their "continued publication of fake news!". Since then, the White House has cited reports published by these organizations regarding the Iranian war, the construction of the celebration hall in the East Wing, and even the Republican Party's midterm conference, claiming that their coverage "threatened national security and/or disseminated misleading information."
The messages issued by the White House - which highlighted those reports - gave the media organizations a deadline until 5 PM on Friday to contest the policy in place, before Trump makes a "final" decision to ban them. The Justice Department claimed that those messages and the procedures outlined in them were sufficient to dispel concerns related to the guarantees of "due process"; a claim that Judge Kelly rejected in his ruling last week, considering that the administration failed to convince him that the situation represented an "extraordinary" circumstance.
The Trump administration has until Friday to respond to the legal memorandum submitted on Monday, while the media organizations will submit a final written plea by next Monday. Kelly stated that he would set a date for a hearing and that he intends to issue a ruling in the case "expeditiously."
Suggested
Read also
PoliticsBritain Threatens to Take a Major Step Forward in Boycotting Settlements
PoliticsInformed Official: Qatar Delivered America's Response to Araqchi's Seven-Day Proposal
Culture