CNN, MS NOW, and Politico file amended suit to reclaim Oval Office and Air Force One pool roles

White House press operations have long relied on pool reporters to share information when the full media corps cannot fit in a room. Three major outlets are now fighting to regain their specific roles in those pools.

CNN, MS NOW, and Politico amended their federal lawsuit on Wednesday. The new filing asks a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to order the White House to stop excluding these news organizations from the Oval Office and Air Force One.

The dispute began on September 18, 2026, when President Donald Trump announced a ban on the three outlets. The following day, their journalists were denied entry to White House grounds and had their press passes taken away. The outlets sued two days later, naming the President, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, and Secret Service Director Sean Curran as defendants.

Judge Tim Kelly, who Trump appointed to the bench in 2017, issued a temporary restraining order on September 23. That order mandated the White House restore access for at least 14 days. Kelly noted that the ban appeared to violate federal appeals court rulings requiring advance notice and a hearing before revoking press passes. The White House allowed the journalists back in the next day.

On October 13, Judge Kelly issued a preliminary injunction. This order indefinitely bars the White House from reinstating the ban while the lawsuit continues. In that ruling, the judge found the outlets likely to succeed on their First Amendment claims of retaliation and viewpoint discrimination.

The amended complaint argues that the White House has not fully complied with these court orders. It states that since the judge required the White House to allow the outlets in, the administration has still blocked them from performing pool functions. The suit claims this exclusion is unlawful retaliation for the outlets' coverage.

Ted Boutrous Jr., an attorney for the plaintiffs, said the White House has continued to violate the First Amendment and due process. He stated that the exclusions are intended to punish coverage the President does not like. Boutrous noted that the bans affect the very locations where the President most frequently engages with the press.

The complaint highlights the scale of the press access at stake. Since Trump's second term began in January 2025, he has held 121 press events aboard Air Force One or on the tarmac. He has also held 138 events in the Oval Office. During these events, he fielded at least 4,700 questions from reporters. The suit argues that once the White House opens these spaces to selected journalists, it cannot exclude the plaintiffs simply because it dislikes their coverage.

The filing details specific instances of exclusion. It notes that the White House has repeatedly barred CNN from fulfilling its duties as the designated television network pooler aboard Air Force One. CNN has held that role for more than four decades. MS NOW has not participated in the secondary TV pool since the ban was announced. Politico was barred from two scheduled out-of-town print pool assignments aboard the presidential plane.

The plaintiffs argue that they have liberty and property interests in their press credentials. The suit claims the White House is depriving them of these interests without meeting due process requirements, such as advance notice and an opportunity to be heard. The White House has not offered an official explanation for the specific exclusions. The next step in the legal process is a court fight over whether a president can block access to specific areas based on editorial viewpoint.