A federal judge ordered the White House to temporarily reinstate CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta’s press pass on Friday. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to the news by announcing that the White House would be developing “rules and processes to ensure fair and orderly press conferences in the future.”
“Today, the court made clear that there is no absolute First Amendment right to access the White House,” Sanders said in a statement, suggesting the ruling was actually a White House win. “In response to the court, we will temporarily reinstate the reporter’s hard pass. We will also further develop rules and processes to ensure fair and orderly press conferences in the future.”
“There must be decorum at the White House,” she stated.
CNN and Acosta recently filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights were violated when the White House indefinitely suspended his press pass after he got into a heated exchange with the President.
While the lawsuit is ongoing, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly on Friday granted CNN's request for a temporary restraining order, reinstating Acosta's hard pass temporarily.
"The temporary order lasts for 14 days and CNN can now petition the Court for a permanent injunction," reports Fox News.
The request was approved on the grounds that Acosta did not receive due process before having his press credentials suspended, not on the grounds of a free speech violation.
President Trump on Friday spoke out on the ruling, warning that if Acosta “misbehaves, we’ll throw him out.”
He echoed Sanders’ remarks, stating that the White House has to “create rules and regulations for conduct, etcetera.”