A US federal judge has ordered the temporary lifting of the ban imposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration on White House access for CNN, MSNBC, and Politico.

The court indicated that there is a likelihood that the constitutional legal rights of journalists from these three media outlets were violated when their access to the White House was revoked last week.

Judge Timothy Kelly of the US District Court for the District of Columbia issued a temporary restraining order against Trump’s ban.

An order has been issued to restore the press passes and White House access for journalists from these three media outlets for the next 14 days.

Following the ban on White House access last week, the three media outlets jointly launched a legal challenge against the move.

The Trump administration had argued in court that the media outlets were publishing false information, thereby threatening national security; however, the court flatly rejected this argument.

The White House has not yet commented on the court’s ruling, though it is speculated that Trump’s lawyers may appeal the decision to a higher court.

In his ruling, Judge Timothy Kelly stated that given the manner in which the White House reached this decision without following due process, the claims made by the three media outlets are likely to be valid.

The judge also pointed out that when Donald Trump first announced the ban last Friday, he made no mention of national security concerns.

At the time, Trump had claimed that these three media outlets were spreading “fake news” and “fabricating stories” against him and his administration.

However, the judge noted in his ruling, “There is no evidence in the record to support the defendants’ claims that revoking the plaintiffs’ press passes would actually protect national security, or that restoring them during the litigation would compromise national security.”

In documents submitted to the court on Tuesday, the Trump administration had cited news reports regarding the construction of a new ballroom at the White House. However, the judge observed that most of the reports the White House objected to were written by journalists who did not even hold press credentials. Even among those who did possess credentials, it appeared that the press pass played little role in the publication of the news.

The judge also remarked that the Defense Department officials whose statements were cited to justify the ban lacked any direct understanding of the process by which journalists work at the White House.

Ted Boutrous, the lawyer representing the media outlets, told CNN, “This is a historic victory for freedom of the press, due process, and the rule of law.”

Earlier, on Monday, major US television networks had temporarily boycotted White House “pool duty” in protest against Trump’s controversial decision. Mainstream media outlets typically share information regarding presidential coverage through a “pool” system to save on news-gathering costs and space constraints.

Forty-nine major media organizations in the country stood by CNN, MSNBC, and Politico in this legal battle. The New York Times, CBS News, and even Fox News—often considered close to Trump—filed legal briefs in court supporting the case.

Donald Trump frequently criticizes US and international media outlets harshly. His administration has previously filed lawsuits against prominent media organizations such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the BBC.

While media outlets have reached substantial financial settlements in some of these cases, Trump’s lawsuit against the BBC remains pending.