A federal judge early Thursday ordered the White House to immediately restore press access for CNN, MSNBC and Politico after President Donald Trump revoked the outlets' credentials last week.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, granted a 14-day temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit filed by the three news organizations. The ruling found that the revocations likely violated the journalists' constitutional due process rights because they received no advance notice or opportunity to respond before their hard passes were pulled.

Kelly rejected the administration's national security arguments for the ban. He noted that Trump had publicly cited the outlets' alleged lack of truthfulness and negative reporting as the reason, not security concerns. The judge described the disputed stories as routine and found no pre-lawsuit evidence supporting a national security motivation.

Trump announced the ban on September 18, stating the outlets "shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES." Reporters from the affected organizations were initially turned away at the gate Thursday morning despite the overnight order. Access was fully restored by noon after further court direction and White House compliance.

The temporary order halts enforcement of the ban while litigation continues. Kelly set deadlines for additional filings over the next two weeks. The administration has indicated it may appeal the decision. The White House has defended the restrictions, Vice President JD Vance backing the decision as “totally appropriate” earlier this week and rejecting claims that they were preventing the organizations from covering the administration. Vance stated the White House was not required to provide outlets special access, especially when they engage in what he described as “far left propaganda.” Trump has similarly accused the outlets of publishing what he called “FAKE NEWS.”

“They can still report on the Trump White House,” Vance said, pointing out that the outlets still had the ability to get public reports as well as speak with administration officials and other figures outside the White House.

This marks the latest in a series of clashes between the Trump administration and major media outlets over White House access and accusations of severe bias in reporting.