A federal judge has ordered the White House to immediately restore press access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico after President Donald Trump's administration barred their reporters from the building.
The District of Columbia court issued a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to reinstate the three organisations' access for 14 days while their legal challenge proceeds.
The outlets sued the administration after their reporters' White House press passes were confiscated last week, arguing that the ban was unconstitutional.
In his ruling, Judge Timothy Kelly said the organisations were likely to succeed in showing that the White House had failed to provide adequate due process before revoking their access.
The Trump administration defended the restrictions by accusing the outlets of publishing false information and posing national security risks.
However, Kelly found insufficient evidence to support the administration's national security arguments.
He noted that Trump had not cited national security when initially announcing the ban.
The judge also questioned the administration's reliance on articles about White House construction projects, including a new ballroom.
He said most of the disputed reports were written by journalists who did not hold the press passes affected by the ban.
The ruling followed protests by major US television networks, which withdrew from White House press pool duties on Monday.
Forty-nine media organisations, including CBS News, The New York Times and Fox News, also filed a legal brief supporting the lawsuit.
Ted Boutrous, a lawyer representing the three outlets, welcomed the decision, describing it as a victory for press freedom, due process and the rule of law.
The White House had not commented on the ruling at the time of the report, and the administration could pursue further legal action.
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