US District Judge Timothy Kelly directed the administration to reinstate the journalists’ press passes immediately and suspend enforcement of the ban for 14 days.

Trump announced the ban on 18 September, accusing the three outlets of spreading “fake news. Their journalists were subsequently denied entry to the White House while carrying out their reporting duties, prompting the outlets to take legal action.

The administration argued that the restrictions were necessary for national security. Kelly rejected that argument, saying the court had seen no evidence that revoking the passes would protect national security or that restoring them would put it at risk.

The ruling marks a setback for Trump in his longstanding dispute with news organisations. Requests for comment from the White House and the three outlets received no immediate response, according to the original report.

In a social media post defending the ban, Trump said the outlets should not be allowed to publish what he described as repeated “lies and fabrications about the US president. He also said a list of other outlets he accused of spreading fake news was forthcoming. Asked which outlets he meant, Trump named The Washington Post and The New York Times and indicated that they could face action in future.