CNN, MS NOW and Politico Expand Press Access Lawsuit to Cover Air Force One and Oval Office Exclusions

CNN, MS NOW and Politico have filed an amended lawsuit against the Trump administration, escalating their ongoing legal battle over White House press access. The updated complaint challenges the administration's continued exclusion of the three outlets from Air Force One travel and areas such as the Oval Office, spaces that remain open to other selected journalists. The outlets accuse the White House of "continued retaliatory and viewpoint-discriminatory deprivation" in violation of the First and Fifth Amendments.

The amended filing comes after a federal judge, identified as Judge P. Kelly, had already issued a preliminary injunction restoring the outlets' general White House access, finding that the original ban likely violated the First Amendment by discriminating against journalists based on their coverage. Despite that order, the Trump administration continued to exclude CNN and Politico from Air Force One trips in recent weeks. The outlets' outside counsel, Ted Boutrous, had warned last week that further legal action would follow if those restrictions persisted.

The lawsuit makes clear the outlets are not claiming an unrestricted right to the Oval Office or Air Force One, but argue that once those spaces are opened to any journalists for newsgathering, the White House cannot selectively bar others because it dislikes their coverage. The amended complaint asks a court to order the administration to include the three outlets in White House reporting pools covering those restricted areas.