CNN, MS NOW and Politico prevail against White House — for now

The Hill reports that U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly wrote that the preliminary injunction was meant to preserve the "status quo" while the CNN, Politico and MS NOW lawsuit continues.[2]The Trump-appointed judge found the outlets were likely to succeed in their claims of viewpoint discrimination and retaliation, according to The Hill.[2]NPR reports that Kelly turned aside the Justice Department's national security arguments and the White House's objections to the outlets' reporting.[1]According to PBS News, the government asked Kelly to suspend his decision pending an appeal, but the judge said it had not justified that request.[3]MS NOW reports that the White House announced on Wednesday that it is appealing the ruling.[4] A White House spokesperson told MS NOW that the outlets are "completely capable of reporting from directly outside."[4]Ted Boutrous, the lawyer for the outlets, said in a statement quoted by PBS News that "when the President issued his 'ban on the free press,' he blatantly and explicitly violated due process and the First Amendment."[3]According to MS NOW, this is the second time Kelly has blocked the ban, after he granted an emergency request in September that restored access for two weeks.[4]NPR reports that the administration followed that earlier order unevenly, and that it periodically blocked CNN from representing the press pool.[1]Axios reports that the White House asked other outlets to fill CNN and Politico's spots in the press pool, and that they refused.[5]