By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were allowed back into the White House on Thursday after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore their press credentials, ending a six-day exclusion that had triggered a legal battle over media access.

US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order directing the administration to immediately return and reinstate the journalists’ White House hard passes. The order followed a lawsuit filed by the three news organisations challenging their removal from the White House press corps.

Kelly ruled that the journalists were likely deprived of their constitutional due process rights when their credentials were revoked without adequate notice or an opportunity to respond. The temporary order is set to remain in effect for 14 days unless the court extends or changes it.

The reporters attempted to return to the White House early Thursday, ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but some were initially denied entry by the Secret Service despite the court ruling.

The journalists were later permitted to enter the White House complex around midday after the administration restored their access.

The dispute began after Trump ordered CNN, MS NOW and Politico barred from the White House on September 18. The president accused the organisations of publishing what he described as false and unfair coverage.

The three outlets subsequently filed a joint lawsuit, arguing that the decision violated constitutional protections, including First Amendment rights relating to freedom of the press.

The administration defended the restrictions, arguing that access to certain areas of the White House is controlled by the government and that journalists do not have an unrestricted right to enter presidential spaces.

The Justice Department also argued that the administration had legitimate reasons for restricting the outlets’ access, including concerns about national security and reports it considered inaccurate or damaging.

White House officials accused the three organisations of publishing what they described as false information concerning national security and sensitive government matters.

Among the examples cited by the administration were reports concerning the US-Iran conflict and reporting about plans for construction beneath the planned East Wing ballroom at the White House.

However, Judge Kelly questioned whether the national security argument adequately explained the decision to revoke the journalists’ permanent credentials.

In his ruling, Kelly said the court was skeptical that protecting national security was the actual motivation for the revocation or that removing the journalists’ access advanced that interest.

He also questioned the absence of clear standards governing when White House reporters could lose their credentials.

According to the judge, the government had not sufficiently demonstrated that the reporting identified in its arguments had damaged national security.

The court also focused on the process used to remove the journalists from the White House. Kelly said individuals generally must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the government takes away a constitutionally protected interest.

The ruling came amid a wider dispute between the Trump administration and several major US news organisations over access to the president.

In response to the exclusion of CNN, other major television networks joined in suspending certain White House pool coverage. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC had said that the public has an important interest in receiving independent information about the government.

The television pool normally allows one broadcaster to provide coverage of presidential events that is then shared with other television organisations.

The dispute became particularly significant on Thursday because Trump was hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House for a state visit.

The confrontation over media access therefore unfolded as the administration was preparing for a major diplomatic event involving the leaders of the United States and China.

CNN White House correspondent Betsy Klein was among the journalists who returned to the White House after the court order. Other reporters from the affected organisations also regained access during the day.

The White House had begun restoring the journalists’ credentials before they were allowed back onto the grounds. Court filings indicated that officials had been instructed to reactivate the affected press passes and make them available to reporters.

The initial refusal to admit some journalists after the judge’s order prompted the three organisations to return to court and seek immediate enforcement of the ruling. The reporters were eventually allowed into the complex later that day.

The judge’s temporary order does not necessarily settle the broader legal dispute. The court is expected to consider whether the restrictions should remain blocked after the initial 14-day period.

The case could therefore continue to test the limits of presidential control over White House press access and the constitutional protections available to journalists covering the US government.

For now, CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters have regained access to the White House, although questions remain about the longer-term rules governing their press credentials and participation in the presidential media pool.

The development represents another chapter in the continuing dispute between the Trump administration and news organisations over press access, reporting standards and the government’s authority to control journalists’ presence inside the White House.