U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a ruling on Tuesday extending a block on the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke the White House hard badges of CNN, Politico, and MSNBC. The judge’s decision maintains the status quo, ensuring that reporters from these organizations retain access to the White House grounds while the underlying legal dispute proceeds.

In his late-night ruling, Judge Kelly indicated that the administration’s revocation of these credentials likely infringed upon the constitutional rights of the news organizations. The preliminary injunction is designed to preserve the ability of these journalists to cover the executive branch while the court considers the merits of the case. The administration had previously sought to bar these outlets, citing concerns over conduct and decorum, but the court’s intervention suggests that the process used to strip these credentials may not have met necessary legal standards for due process.

While the administration has argued that it has broad discretion to manage access to the White House, the court’s current stance prioritizes the protection of press access as a matter of constitutional concern. The extension of this order ensures that the legal battle will continue without the immediate removal of the journalists from the White House press pool.