When President Trump moved to bar CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House over "biased" coverage, it set off a fast-moving legal showdown. Today, Eugene Volokh and Jane Bambauer break down why the law was surprisingly clear-cut. Drawing on a 50-year-old D.C. Circuit precedent and a fresh ruling on Oval Office access, they explain the crucial distinction between the press briefing room (a forum where reporters can’t be excluded based on viewpoint) and the Oval Office (the president's own turf, where he can talk to whomever he wants). Plus: the due process twist that let a judge sidestep the First Amendment question entirely, the White House's slow-motion compliance with the restraining order, and why "the First Amendment is not a Freedom of Information Act."
Recorded on September 25, 2026.
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