US television coverage from the White House returned to normal on Friday. The White House allowed journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico to return. A federal judge had ordered the administration to restore their access. The judge ruled on Thursday that the ban likely violated the Constitution.
President Donald Trump had barred the three outlets. He accused them of publishing "fake news". The White House still blocked some CNN and MS NOW reporters on Thursday. Those reporters had planned to cover Chinese President Xi Jinping's arrival for a state dinner.
The situation changed on Friday. White House officials allowed the reporters to enter. Coverage then returned to normal during Xi's final day in Washington.
TV networks stop White House coverage
The dispute also affected major US television networks. ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC stopped their White House broadcasts for a time. These four networks share daily White House coverage with CNN. The networks took the step to support the outlets facing the ban.
CNN said the White House imposed restrictions shortly before Xi arrived for the dinner. The network said officials allowed only a photojournalist and an audio technician to cover the event. The White House did not allow a full team. That team would have included a reporter and a producer.
MS NOW White House reporter Laura Barron-Lopez also faced restrictions. She said White House staff told her that she could not enter the building. Staff asked her to contact the White House communications director.
The BBC contacted the White House for comment. A White House communications account on X defended the decision. It said: "contrary to what the Fake News wants you to believe, they don't just get to have free rein into every part of the White House, every event, and every press call".
Judge orders White House to restore access
The latest dispute followed several incidents on Thursday. CNN, Politico and MS NOW said the White House still denied them entry that morning. The outlets then asked the court for an emergency hearing.
The director of White House Operations responded in a court filing. He said officials had restored the press passes and returned the confiscated badges by 09:45 local time, or 13:45 GMT. The three outlets later confirmed that the White House had allowed them back inside.
Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the temporary suspension of the ban. He said the restrictions "likely violated their constitutional due process rights".
Kelly also questioned the White House's national security argument. The administration had cited national security as one reason for the restrictions. But Trump did not mention national security when he first announced the ban.
"The record lacks factual support for defendants' contention that the revocation of plaintiffs' hard passes will in fact protect national security," Kelly wrote. The judge said CNN, Politico and MS NOW were "likely to succeed" in arguing that the White House failed to provide "adequate due process".
Kelly ordered the administration to immediately restore the outlets' press passes. He also stopped the White House from enforcing the ban for 14 days.
Justice Department defends the ban
The US Department of Justice defended the administration's position in a court filing on Tuesday. Government lawyers argued that the three outlets' reporting threatened national security. They cited several reports. These included stories about missile stockpiles, plans to build a White House ballroom and the recent Republican midterm convention.
Trump announced the ban the previous Friday. He accused the three outlets of publishing "fiction or lies" about his administration. By Saturday morning, all three organisations said White House officials had denied their journalists entry. They also said officials had taken away their press badges.
The outlets accused the Trump administration of violating their constitutional rights. They issued a joint statement on Monday. They said they would take legal action to "defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports".
More than 50 media groups back lawsuit
More than 50 media organisations supported the lawsuit. The groups represented different political and ideological viewpoints. They filed an amicus brief in support of the three outlets.
The supporters included Fox News, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. The dispute also reflects earlier conflicts between US administrations and news organisations over media access. In 2009, the Obama administration tried to exclude Fox News from a press pool interview with a government official.
The other four television networks in the press pool objected. After their objections, the administration allowed Fox News to attend the interview.