**What comes next in the White House press access case****A federal judge's ruling restored CNN, MS Now and Politico's access to the White House. Gabe Rottman says better procedure alone may not resolve the broader First Amendment fight.** Could the White House try its press ban again? A press freedom expert explains Updated September 24, 2026 9:26 AM ET Originally published September 24, 2026 4:44 AM ET What's next in the legal battle after judge restores White House access for outlets The James S.
Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 21. **Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Images******hide caption**** Judge orders Trump administration to restore journalists' access to White House A federal judge restored White House access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico for 14 days. But the ruling leaves one question unanswered: Could the administration simply try again, this time following the proper process? Gabe Rottman, vice president of policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, says that would not necessarily settle the larger constitutional issue.
The Reporters Committee, a nonprofit that provides free legal services and advocacy to journalists and news organizations, joined the White House Correspondents' Association and dozens of news organizations, including NPR, in a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the three outlets. District Judge Timothy Kelly focused largely on due process, finding that the outlets were likely denied adequate notice and a chance to respond before their credentials were revoked. Rottman said the White House has broad discretion to manage access, including for legitimate security reasons.
But that authority, he said, cannot be used to exclude outlets because officials dislike their coverage. "The White House facility doesn't need to let journalists in," Rottman told NPR. "But once it does ... it cannot exclude journalists or news organizations because it doesn't like what they report." This broader question regarding viewpoint discrimination could remain even if the White House fixes the procedural problem.
Rottman had a simple assessment of whether these access restrictions have been effective: "Journalists are resilient," he said. "They'll keep doing their jobs. They'll keep getting the news to the public." _Listen to the interview by clicking the blue button above._ _The digital story was written by Majd Al-Waheidi and edited by Suzanne Nuyen._ **NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews.** Anyone who makes such an offer or request is not an NPR employee and does not represent NPR.
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