The Department of Justice this week urged a federal judge to keep President Donald Trump's ban on several media outlets from the White House in place.

Trump, last week, banned CNN, Politico, and MSNOW from the White House, citing alleged "fake news" from the networks. The decision prompted outrage from the White House Correspondents' Association and led to a joint lawsuit from the affected networks.

"Plaintiffs CNN, MSNOW, and Politico have long been granted privileged access to White House grounds," the DOJ wrote in a court filing. "But the President concluded that they have failed to maintain basic minimum “standards of professionalism and decorum expected of those given access to the White House Complex, including” by 'publishing sensitive or classified information.'"

The DOJ further argued that the ban is lawful under the First Amendment and that Trump would have implemented the ban, even for non-viewpoint-related reasons.

The issue is before Trump-appointed District Judge Tim Kelly, who previously sided with CNN in a dispute over their White House correspondents' ban during Trump's first term.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.