The White House Press Ban Shows How Tricky Free Speech Can Be

President Donald Trump’s bid to exclude CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House press pool violates the First Amendment under existing precedent. And on Thursday, a judge temporarily blocked Trump’s ban. But that’s not the end of the story. A close look at the arguments made by the Department of Justice for the hearing that took place Wednesday in federal district court demonstrates just how much press freedom rests on norms and customs, not just the letter of the Constitution.