Fight over Trump’s media ban heads to court

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The Hill's Headlines (PM) - September 22, 2026

The Hill's Headlines (PM) - September 22, 2026

▪ Media outlets’ day in court

▪ GOP senator calls for Don Jr. probe

▪ Susan Collins under scrutiny

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The battle over President Trump’s ban of three media outlets from the White House is turning to the legal system starting today with a hearing on whether the move is constitutional.

Trump has already said he expects to lose when the case goes before U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Trump appointed during his first term. He reiterated Tuesday that he is bracing for a loss “because this is a judge who is not a particularly fair judge,” but declined to say whether he would comply with the judge’s order.

“I think we have a right to clean out fake news,” he told reporters during one of many meetings at the UN General Assembly.

Kelly was the judge who presided over the case in 2018 in which Trump revoked White House press credentials from Jim Acosta, then a CNN correspondent. Kelly ruled in favor of Acosta, directing that his credentials be returned while the legal battle played out. The White House eventually reversed its decision and restored Acosta’s pass.

Ahead of the hearing, the Department of Justice (DOJ) argued in a court filing late Tuesday that the ban shouldn’t be blocked. The filing cites national security concerns and alleges that the outlets “failed to meet basic minimum ‘standards or professionalism and decorum.’”

“After all, access to the White House is a privilege—not a right,” the filing argues.

If Kelly were to rule in favor of the news outlets, an appeal would be almost certain to quickly follow. A favorable ruling could mean outlets quickly regain access to the White House, effectively ending a standoff that has left with White House without a television press pool.

The major television networks that rotate covering the president are all continuing to sit out the pool, which takes turns recording Trump’s every public move, in solidarity with the three banned outlets. The impacts of their decision were on display Monday when Trump was inaudible while speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling the new helipad on the South Lawn of the White House.

“This is one example of it backfiring just a little bit,” a Newsmax anchor remarked.

The White House launched a 24/7 stream on YouTube called Trump TV following the ban.

At today’s hearing, the outlets are expected to argue the ban violates their First Amendment rights. The Hill’s Dominick Mastrangelo reports most media and legal observers expect the organizations to succeed and their journalists to soon be back on White House grounds.

Still, the battle marks the biggest confrontation yet in years of brawls between the Trump administration and the media.

Trump didn’t cite national security when he first announced the bans, saying he made the decision because of the “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS.” He also has signaled other outlets or journalists could soon be banned too.

The administration faced off with The Associated Press last year after the wire service refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” in line with an executive order the president issued. The White House limited AP journalists’ access to Air Force One and the Oval Office and kicked the outlet out of the press pool in response.

A federal judge initially sided with AP, but an appeals court largely overturned the ruling. The case is still ongoing, but the AP has regained normal access in the meantime.

The hearing Wednesday is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., and a ruling could come at that point or soon afterward.

You can read more this morning about what to expect in the case from The Hill newsletter The Gavel, which covers the biggest stories in the legal world each week. Click here to sign up to get the newsletter in your inbox.

▪ CNN: Press ban prompts widespread solidarity, fewer images of Trump.

▪ The Hill:  Vice President Vance, Mehmet Oz chuckle about press ban at fraud event.

▪ The Hill: Trump tells Kaitlan Collins ‘you shouldn’t be here’ at U.N.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington today for his first visit to the U.S. capital in 10 years. Trump is expected to greet him on the tarmac when the Chinese leader lands at Joint Base Andrews for his U.S. state visit. The high-stakes talks are expected to get underway tomorrow.

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan declined an appeal from a surrogate to intervene in a custody fight over a child that has drawn national attention to parental and abortion rights. The surrogate unsuccessfully sought to have a parental judgement in favor of the couple in a California court lifted.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) endorsed Senate candidate Abdul........

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