Blue Press Journal

Tag: Federal Judge

  • MS NOW Reporter Barred From White House, Joins CNN and Politico in Access Dispute

    Washington, D.C., Sept. 24 — A federal judge’s order to restore White House press credentials for three news outlets has been ignored, as MSNBC correspondent  Laura Barron‑Lopez was denied entry on Thursday, mirroring recent turn‑aways of CNN and Politico journalists.

    Update: 10:20am est.

    A reporter for the online outlet MS NOW was turned away from the White House press entrance on Thursday, bringing the media outlet into a growing dispute over access that already includes correspondents from CNN and Politico.

    Laura Barron‑Lopez, a senior reporter for the news outlet, said she arrived at the Press Briefing building, swiped her badge at the security checkpoint and watched the indicator turn red before being stopped by a uniformed security guard.

    “I got as far as the press pass security hut, swiped my badge, and the light started flashing red,” Barron‑Lopez told reporters after the incident. “The guard told me I could not proceed and escorted me off the premises.”

    Her experience mirrors that of a CNN reporter and a Politico correspondent, both of whom were denied entry his morning under the same circumstances.

    MS NOW, CNN and Politico have scheduled a joint press conference for Thursday afternoon to discuss the broader implications of the White House’s security procedures on media freedom.

    Fediverse Reactions

  • Federal Judges Block Trump’s Election Changes

    President Trump’s executive order of March 25, aiming to alter federal election rules, has suffered significant legal setbacks. The order had attempted to mandate that officials require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, accept only mailed ballots received by Election Day, and condition federal election grant funding on states adhering to this deadline. Critics contended the directive “usurps the States’ constitutional power and seeks to amend election law by fiat.”

    Adding to an earlier ruling by a federal judge in Washington, D.C. that blocked parts of the order – specifically the proof-of-citizenship requirement for the federal voter registration form – a federal judge in Massachusetts has now also blocked the president’s broader attempt to overhaul elections.

    In Friday’s order, Judge Denise J. Casper of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts stated that the challenging states had a likelihood of success in their legal arguments. “The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” Judge Casper wrote.

    Among its provisions, the executive order would have forced states to exclude mail-in or absentee ballots received after Election Day. This directly contradicted the current practice in 18 states and Puerto Rico, which allows ballots to be accepted after Election Day if postmarked by that date, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Furthermore, the order threatened states’ federal funding if they did not comply with this strict deadline.