Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 1:26-cv-03287, filed September 21, 2026
- Caption
- Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Court level
- trial court
- Docket
- 1:26-cv-03287
- Filed
- 2026-09-21
- Status
- pending
What the court held
Not yet decided. CNN, MS NOW and Politico allege "First Amendment retaliation" and viewpoint discrimination and a Fifth Amendment due-process violation in the revocation of their White House credentials. The complaint states, "This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles," and seeks a declaration that the ban violates the First and Fifth Amendments and an injunction restoring access.12345
Pending; a hearing was scheduled for September 23, 2026.12345
Incidents
Documents and reporting
- Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump, 1:26-cv-03287 (D.D.C.)
- CNN, MS NOW, Politico sue Trump administration over White House ban archived copy
- CNN, Politico and MS NOW sue White House over access archived copy
- CNN, Politico, MS NOW plan to sue Trump administration over ban on White House coverage archived copy
- CNN, MS NOW, Politico say they've notified Trump they're suing over denied White House access archived copy
- Court hearing set for Wednesday in CNN, MS NOW, Politico suit archived copy
- White House faces mounting legal backlash archived copy
Claims cited
- CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued the Trump administration on September 21, 2026.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico on Monday sued President Donald Trump's administration after they were barred from covering the White House over the weekend
White House faces mounting legal backlash archived copy, NBC News, 2026-09-21. Claim 24, checked 2026-09-22. - The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly.
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Trump nominated during his first term in the White House.
CNN, MS NOW, Politico say they've notified Trump they're suing over denied White House access archived copy, PBS NewsHour, 2026-09-21. Claim 25, checked 2026-09-22. - The complaint states the ban "could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles."
This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles.
CNN, MS NOW, Politico say they've notified Trump they're suing over denied White House access archived copy, PBS NewsHour, 2026-09-21. Claim 26, checked 2026-09-22. - The case is docketed as Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump, No. 1:26-cv-03287, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
CABLE NEWS NETWORK, INC. v. TRUMP, 1:26-cv-03287
Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump, 1:26-cv-03287 (D.D.C.), CourtListener / Free Law Project. Claim 27, checked 2026-09-22. - CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed suit against the White House and the President, seeking a declaration that the ban violates the Constitution and an injunction restoring access.
filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.
CNN, MS NOW, Politico sue Trump administration over White House ban archived copy, Axios, 2026-09-21. Claim 107, checked 2026-09-22.