WASHINGTON, D.C. — UPDATE, September 24: Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico regained access to the White House around midday Thursday, hours after they were initially turned away despite a federal court order directing officials to restore their credentials immediately.
CNN senior reporter Betsy Klein entered the White House complex after her hard pass was returned. MS NOW correspondent Laura Barrón-López was also back on the grounds, and Politico confirmed that one of its reporters had been admitted.
The three organizations sought an emergency hearing Thursday morning after their journalists were denied entry and additional hard passes were confiscated. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly directed the administration to respond to the noncompliance allegations by 12:30 p.m. Eastern time.
In a declaration filed shortly before that deadline, White House press-operations director Micah Stopperich said his staff began restoring access after receiving notice of the order at 7:10 a.m. and completed the work in just under three hours, according to National Public Radio.
Kelly granted a 14-day temporary restraining order early Thursday, finding that the organizations were likely to succeed in showing their credentials had been revoked without constitutionally adequate due process. He also questioned the administration’s national-security justification, writing that the record before the court did not show national security motivated the original revocations.
The temporary order does not decide the outlets’ broader First Amendment claims or end the lawsuit. No appellate ruling or stay had been reported. The five-network television pool had not announced whether normal pooled coverage would resume immediately.
Sources: National Public Radio restored-access update; ABC News access confirmation.