Judge Kelly Extends TRO Against White House Press Ban Through Tuesday After PI Hearing, Presses DOJ on Rationale

At a preliminary-injunction hearing Thursday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said his temporary restraining order, which was set to expire Thursday, will remain in place through Tuesday (CBS News). The judge said a ruling could come on Tuesday or earlier (CNN). The president’s ban impacts 78 credentialed journalists across the three media organizations, Kelly said.

Kelly said surmounting the argument that the news outlets were denied due process is “probably the biggest hurdle” for the Justice Department, and CNN reports he called the case an “uphill climb” for the department. On the government’s explanation, Kelly said the president “seems to have said publicly and on several occasions” that he was acting “because of X and Y, and now the government has come into court and saying, no, it was it was actually for Z.” That fact pattern, he said, “is a hard one to find.”

A hearing and a continued TRO are not a ruling on the preliminary injunction. The case history is in 2026-09-21–cnn-politico-msnow-sue-trump-white-house-press-ban, 2026-09-22–doj-cites-national-security-cnn-politico-msnow-ban, 2026-09-23–judge-kelly-hears-arguments-cnn-politico-msnow-tro and 2026-09-24–judge-kelly-grants-tro-cnn-politico-msnow-press-passes.