Update: CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue over White House ban and seek temporary restraining order

Reuters and the Associated Press confirmed on September 21 that CNN, MS NOW and Politico jointly sued President Donald Trump and other officials in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The outlets allege the White House revoked credentials without notice or process because it objected to their reporting, amounting to viewpoint discrimination.

The complaint invokes First Amendment protections for press and speech and Fifth Amendment due-process rights. It asks the court for a temporary restraining order restoring access and preventing arbitrary expansion of the ban. Emergency hearings could occur this week; AP reported that the case was assigned to US District Judge Timothy Kelly.

The White House had already turned away journalists from all three organizations and confiscated their passes on September 19. CNN was also removed from a scheduled White House television pool assignment and from coverage of Trump's trip to the United Nations General Assembly. Several networks subsequently suspended participation in parts of the television pool in protest.

Trump again defended the ban on social media on September 21, calling the barred outlets a national-security threat without providing evidence. The White House had not formally responded to the lawsuit by Reuters' publication time. These are the plaintiffs' legal allegations; the court has not ruled the ban unconstitutional or decided whether to issue the restraining order.

The accompanying image is an N Globe editorial illustration, not documentary footage. Verification status: corrected/updated. News value: A-level major news. Origin region: United States. Primary section: Politics. Related region: World. Source publication times: Reuters, September 21, 2026, 10:16 UTC; Associated Press, September 21, 2026. Report updated: September 21, 2026.