WASHINGTON – A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately restore White House access for reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico after the outlets were barred from the premises.

Judge Timothy Kelly issued the order on Thursday, 24 September, after the three media organisations jointly challenged the administration’s decision in court.

President Donald Trump barred the outlets from the White House on Friday, accusing them of distributing what he described as “fake news” and “fiction and lies”.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order, arguing that the ban violated the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which protects freedom of the press.

In his ruling, Kelly found that the administration’s revocation of the reporters’ press access “likely violated their constitutional due process rights”.

“The ‘general rule’ is that ‘individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the Government deprives them’ of a constitutionally protected interest,” Kelly wrote.

The ruling requires the White House to reinstate access for the affected reporters while the legal dispute continues.

The confrontation is the latest in a long-running dispute between Trump and news organisations that have published critical coverage of his political campaigns and administrations. Trump has repeatedly accused sections of the US media of unfair reporting and has previously referred to the press as the “enemy of the people”.

The court case comes ahead of the US midterm elections in November, when control of Congress will be contested, while the administration is also facing continued scrutiny over its handling of the US-Iran conflict.