US judge allows CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters to keep White House access

File photo: Judge orders White House to restore CNN, MS NOW and Politico access A US federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to allow CNN, MS NOW and Politico to access the White House while their lawsuit against US president Donald Trump’s press ban proceeds, ruling that the restrictions likely violated the First Amendment.US district Judge Tim Kelly said Trump’s own public comments suggested that the ban was imposed in retaliation for reporting he considered inaccurate or biased against him. The judge said this established a likely link between the outlets’ protected speech and the revocation of their White House press passes.“President Trump likely banned Plaintiffs from the White House because he believes that their reporting is generally inaccurate and biased against him,” Kelly wrote in his order.Kelly’s ruling extends his earlier decision blocking the ban, which was due to expire on Tuesday, and sets the stage for a possible appeal by the administration. The judge, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, rejected the Justice Department’s argument that national security concerns had partly motivated the restrictions.He said there was no evidence th...