Amicus Brief
CNN v. Trump
A lawsuit challenging President Trump’s decision to ban three news organizations from the White House.
On September 23, 2026, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Knight Institute, and others filed an amicus brief in support of a challenge brought by three news organizations to President Trump's decision to ban them from the White House. President Trump banned the news organizations—CNN, MS NOW, and Politico—on September 18, 2026, based on his assertion that they repeatedly reported "fake news" that was "purposely negative" and "one-sided."
The amicus brief argues that the press has, for over a century, fulfilled a crucial role by reporting on newsworthy events from within the White House on behalf of the American people, and that the president's decision to ban news organizations from the White House based on the viewpoints expressed in their reporting violates the First Amendment.
Status: Hearing on motion for a temporary restraining order scheduled for September 23, 2026.
Press Statements
Legal Filings
Click to highlight response chains
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KEY DOCUMENTS
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D.D.C.
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Knight Institute, RCFP, and Media Organization Amicus Brief
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Government's TRO Opposition
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Declaration of Timothy Brown
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Exhibit 1 - Letter to CNN
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Exhibit 2 - Letter to MS NOW
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Exhibit 3 - Letter to Politico
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Declaration of Kingsley Wilson
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Plaintiffs' Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO)
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Declaration of Akayla Gardner
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Declaration of Betsy Klein
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Declaration of Cheyenne Haslett
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Declaration of David Vigilante
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Declaration of Julia Marsh
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Declaration of Sudeep Reddy
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Declaration of Theodore Boutrous
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Complaint
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