A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump White House to immediately restore the press pass of CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta as the case between Acosta, CNN and the White House progresses.

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Acosta was allowed back into the White House Friday afternoon and participated in a press gaggle on the North Lawn.

CNN filed a lawsuit suit earlier this week claiming that revoking Acosta's press pass to the White House, known as a "hard pass," violated the First Amendment.

President Trump, whose back-and-forth with Acosta, had become particularly tense over the past few months, weighed in on Friday saying that the White House is writing rules and regulations that would offer guidance related to the press corps.

"You can't take three questions and four questions and just stand up and not sit down. Decorum you have to practice decorum," Trump said in response to questions about the ruling. "We want total freedom of the press. That's very important it’s more important to me than anybody would believe. But you have to act with respect, you’re in the White House."

Carlos Barria/Reuters

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly repeatedly emphasized that his decision to return Acosta's press pass as litigation continues was based on the Fifth Amendment, under which the judge ruled Acosta was denied his right to due process. Due process would give Acosta and CNN the chance to rebut and challenge the appropriateness of the government’s action.

“I do hold that plaintiffs have demonstrated a likelihood of success on their claim that adequate process was not provided to Mr. Acosta,” the judge said, rejecting the government's argument that statements from White House officials issued after Acosta's pass was revoked sufficed.

“Indeed, whatever process occurred within the government is still so shrouded in mystery that the government could not tell me at oral argument who made the initial decision to revoke Mr. Acosta’s press pass,” the judge added.

Acosta was stripped of his credentials, without warning, when he returned to the White House, where he works daily, after a heated exchange between Trump and Acosta at a press conference on Nov. 7.

In his closing remarks, Kelly made clear that the ruling, which is only the beginning of the court proceedings to decide Acosta’s White House access, was narrow and didn’t determine whether or not Acosta’s First Amendment right was violated.

“I want to emphasize the very limited nature of today’s ruling,” he said of his decision to grant the temporary restraining order that restores Acosta’s press pass.

“Because I’ve found that it must be granted as to the due process claim, I haven’t had to reach the plaintiffs First Amendment claim at all, in which they alleged that the government engaged in viewpoint or content discrimination,” Kelly said.

“So I want to make very clear I have not determined the First Amendment was violated here,” Kelly said, adding that he had not determined what legal standard would apply to the claim or how the 1971 case of Sherrill v. Knight, relied heavily upon by CNN’s legal team, would bind the judge, if at all.

The judge also said during the ruling, in addressing an argument from the government during the first hearing, that “the public doesn’t have a general First Amendment right to enter the White House grounds.”

“I have no quarrel with that at all,” the judge said.

But, Kelly said, Sherrill v. Knight holds that “once the White House opens up a portion of it to reporters for their use, some kind of First Amendment liberty interest protected by a due process right is created and I simply have no choice but to apply that precedent here.”

Responding to the decision, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders focused on Kelly’s comments on the First Amendment, despite the judge’s comments about his lack of a decision on that specific claim.

“Today, the court made clear that there is no absolute First Amendment right to access the White House. In response to the court, we will temporarily reinstate the reporter’s hard pass,” Sanders said.

"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," Sanders said.

Proceedings are expected to continue next week, and Kelly made it clear that the door was still open for changes in Acosta’s White House access.

"If at some point after restoring the hard pass the government would like to move to vacate the restraining order on the grounds that it has fulfilled its due process obligations then it may, of course, do so and I will promptly address that and then the remaining basis of the temporary restraining order."

Speaking after the ruling, Ted Boutros, an attorney for CNN said the news organization is "extremely pleased with the ruling today."

"A great day for the First Amendment and journalism," he said. "We're very excited to have Mr. Acosta be able to go back and get his hard pass and report the news about the White House."

Acosta thanked journalistic colleagues for their support and the judge for his ruling.

"Let's go back to work," Acosta said.

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Earlier in the week, CNN and Acosta filed an emergency motion to have Acosta’s press pass immediately reinstated as the court case continues and asked for a ruling from Kelly, a Trump-appointed U.S. district judge.

The American Civil Liberties Union in a statement applauded Friday's ruling saying it "reaffirms that no one, not even the president, is above the law.

"The White House surely hoped that expelling a reporter would deter forceful questioning, but the court's ruling will have the opposite effect," Ben Wizner, the ACLU's director of speech, privacy and technology project wrote in a statement. "The freedom of the press is a bedrock principle, and our democracy is strengthened when journalists challenge our leaders rather than defer to them."</s>A federal judge has delayed until Friday a ruling on whether the Trump administration has to return the White House press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly didn’t offer any explanation for delaying a ruling that had been expected Thursday afternoon. He’s set a court date for 10 a.m. Friday.

Kelly, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, heard arguments Wednesday from lawyers representing CNN and the Justice Department.

The news network is seeking an immediate restraining order that would force the White House to hand back Acosta’s credentials, which grant reporters as-needed access to the 18-acre complex.

Acosta has clashed repeatedly with Trump and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in briefings over the last two years. The White House revoked the pass following a combative press conference last week, a day after Republicans lost control of the House in midterm elections.

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During the hearing, the Justice Department defended the White House’s decision to strip Acosta of his press pass. The department argued that Acosta is guilty of “inappropriate grandstanding.”

The White House took the action after a heated confrontation between Acosta and President Donald Trump during a news conference last week.

In a court hearing Wednesday, Justice Department lawyer James Burnham argued that Acosta deserved to lose his access over “his refusal to comply with the general standards of a press conference.”

Burnham said that the White House is essentially Trump’s home and office and that the president has some right to decide who can and can’t be there.

“There’s no First Amendment right to access the White House grounds,” Burnham said.

Burnham also pointed out that CNN has dozens of other staffers with White House credentials, so excluding Acosta would not harm the network’s coverage.

CNN is seeking a restraining order that would force the White House to return Acosta’s press credentials.

The network’s lawyer, Theodore Boutrous, said Acosta is being singled out for his body of work, not his alleged rudeness.

“The White House has made very clear that they don’t like the content of the reporting by CNN and Jim Acosta,” Boutrous said. “Rudeness really is a code word for ‘I don’t like you being an aggressive reporter.'”

Trump, in an interview published Wednesday, told The Daily Caller that “guys like Acosta” were “bad for the country. … He’s just an average guy who’s a grandstander who’s got the guts to stand up and shout.”

A number of news organizations, including The Associated Press, have announced their intention to file amicus briefs with the court in support of CNN.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.</s>A federal judge has delayed until Friday a ruling on whether the Trump administration has to return the White House press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly didn’t offer any explanation for delaying a ruling that had been expected Thursday afternoon. He’s set a court date for 10 a.m. Friday.

Kelly, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, heard arguments Wednesday from lawyers representing CNN and the Justice Department.

The news network is seeking an immediate restraining order that would force the White House to hand back Acosta’s credentials, which grant reporters as-needed access to the 18-acre complex.

Acosta has clashed repeatedly with Trump and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in briefings over the last two years. The White House revoked the pass following a combative press conference last week, a day after Republicans lost control of the House in midterm elections.

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During the hearing, the Justice Department defended the White House’s decision to strip Acosta of his press pass. The department argued that Acosta is guilty of “inappropriate grandstanding.”

The White House took the action after a heated confrontation between Acosta and President Donald Trump during a news conference last week.

In a court hearing Wednesday, Justice Department lawyer James Burnham argued that Acosta deserved to lose his access over “his refusal to comply with the general standards of a press conference.”

Burnham said that the White House is essentially Trump’s home and office and that the president has some right to decide who can and can’t be there.

“There’s no First Amendment right to access the White House grounds,” Burnham said.

Burnham also pointed out that CNN has dozens of other staffers with White House credentials, so excluding Acosta would not harm the network’s coverage.

CNN is seeking a restraining order that would force the White House to return Acosta’s press credentials.

The network’s lawyer, Theodore Boutrous, said Acosta is being singled out for his body of work, not his alleged rudeness.

“The White House has made very clear that they don’t like the content of the reporting by CNN and Jim Acosta,” Boutrous said. “Rudeness really is a code word for ‘I don’t like you being an aggressive reporter.'”

Trump, in an interview published Wednesday, told The Daily Caller that “guys like Acosta” were “bad for the country. … He’s just an average guy who’s a grandstander who’s got the guts to stand up and shout.”

A number of news organizations, including The Associated Press, have announced their intention to file amicus briefs with the court in support of CNN.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is trying to fend off a legal challenge from CNN and other outlets over the revocation of journalist Jim Acosta’s White House “hard pass.”

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly heard arguments Wednesday afternoon from lawyers representing CNN and the Justice Department. The news network is seeking an immediate restraining order that would force the White House to return Acosta’s press credentials — which grant reporters as-needed access to the 18-acre complex.

Kelly said he would announce his decision Thursday afternoon.

Acosta has repeatedly clashed with Trump and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in briefings over the last two years. But the dynamic devolved into a near-shouting match during a combative press conference last week following midterm elections in which Republicans lost control of the House.

Acosta refused to give up a microphone when the president said he didn’t want to hear anything more from him. Trump called Acosta a “rude, terrible person.”

The White House quickly announced that Acosta’s White House access would be revoked.

The CNN lawsuit calls the revocation “an unabashed attempt to censor the press and exclude reporters from the White House who challenge and dispute the President’s point of view.”

The Associated Press joined with a group of 12 other news organizations, including Fox News, in filing an amicus brief Wednesday in support of CNN.

“Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponized,” said a statement by Fox News President Jay Wallace. “While we don’t condone the growing antagonistic tone by both the President and the press at recent media avails, we do support a free press, access and open exchanges for the American people.”

On Wednesday, Justice Department lawyer James Burnham argued that Acosta was guilty of “inappropriate grandstanding” and deserved to lose his access over “his refusal to comply with the general standards of a press conference.”

Burnham also pointed out that CNN has dozens of other staffers with White House credentials, so excluding Acosta would not harm the network’s coverage.

The network’s lawyer, Theodore Boutrous, contended that Acosta was being singled out for his body of work, not his alleged rudeness during a press conference.

“The White House has made very clear that they don’t like the content of the reporting by CNN and Jim Acosta,” Boutrous said. “Rudeness really is a code word for ‘I don’t like you being an aggressive reporter.'”

Prior to Wednesday’s hearing, the White House had maintained that it has “broad discretion” to regulate press access to the White House.

A pre-hearing legal filing argued, “The President and his designees in the White House Press Office have exercised their discretion not to engage with him and, by extension, to no longer grant him on-demand access to the White House complex so that he can attempt to interact with the President or White House officials.”

Trump himself, in an interview published Wednesday, was uncertain how the court fight would end, saying: “We’ll see how the court rules. Is it freedom of the press when somebody comes in and starts screaming questions and won’t sit down?”

Trump told The Daily Caller that “guys like Acosta” were “bad for the country. … He’s just an average guy who’s a grandstander who’s got the guts to stand up and shout.”

The White House’s explanations for why it seized Acosta’s credentials have shifted over the last week. Sanders initially explained the decision by accusing Acosta of making improper physical contact with the intern seeking to grab the microphone. But that rationale disappeared after witnesses backed Acosta’s account that he was just trying to keep the mic, and Sanders distributed a doctored video that made it appear Acosta was more aggressive than he actually was.

On Tuesday, Sanders accused Acosta of being unprofessional by trying to dominate the questioning at the news conference.

Both Sanders and Trump are named as defendants in the CNN suit, along with Chief of Staff John Kelly and Randolph Alles, director of the Secret Service.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration contends it has "broad discretion" to regulate press access to the White House as it fends off a legal challenge from CNN and other outlets over the revocation of journalist Jim Acosta's "hard pass."

In a legal filing ahead of a Wednesday hearing on CNN's request for a temporary restraining order to restore Acosta's access, the government argues it "was lawful" to punish Acosta for his behavior during a contentious Trump press conference last week.

The White House's explanations for why it seized Acosta's "hard pass," which grants reporters as-needed access to the 18-acre complex, have shifted over the last week. Acosta has repeatedly clashed with Trump and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in briefings over the last two years.

The Associated Press joined with a group of 12 other news organizations planning to file an amicus brief in the case Wednesday.

"Whether the news of the day concerns national security, the economy, or the environment, reporters covering the White House must remain free to ask questions. It is imperative that independent journalists have access to the President and his activities, and that journalists are not barred for arbitrary reasons," the law firm Ballard Spahr said in a statement on behalf of the news organizations.

Fox News President Jay Wallace said that Secret Service passes for working White House journalists "should never be weaponized." Fox News was one of the organizations part of the filing.

Wallace said while Fox News doesn't condone the "growing antagonistic tone by both the president and the press at recent media avails," it supports "access and open exchanges for the American people."</s>In a show of solidarity, major U.S. media outlets are backing the CNN’s legal fight against the White House for revoking the ‘hard pass’ of Jim Acosta.

CNN said it had asked the court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass to be returned to Acosta and would seek permanent relief as part of the process.

The White House Correspondents Association had also said that it “strongly supports” the suit against the Trump’s administration.

‘Hard pass’ gives holders expanded access to the White House complex.

Acosta’s pass was suspended last week after he sparred with Trump during a press conference.

Fox News, which anchors and shows are generally supportive of President Donald Trump and his policies, has filed a “friend of the court” brief in federal court in support of CNN’s lawsuit.

Fox News President Jay Wallace said Wednesday that the network would file an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

Wallace said in a statement: “Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponised.

“While we don’t condone the growing antagonistic tone by both the President and the press at recent media avails, we do support a free press, access and open exchanges for the American people.”

CBS News also announced in a statement that it would be filing an amicus brief in support of CNN, saying it supports the White House Correspondents Association and CNN’s legal fight to restore Acosta’s access.

“We do not believe that revoking White House press credentials is an appropriate remedy for a disagreement the White House may have with a particular reporter.

“We intend to file a friend of the court brief in support of CNN’s lawsuit to defend its constitutional rights,” CBS News said in the statement.

A group of other news organisations, including Fox News, NBC News, the New York Times, the Washington Post and two wire services – AP and Bloomberg – also said they would file a joint amicus brief in support of CNN.

The law firm, Ballard Spahr, issued a statement on behalf of The Associated Press; Bloomberg L.P.; First Look Media Works, Inc.; FOX News; Gannett; National Press Club Journalism Institute; NBC News; The New York Times Co.; POLITICO; Press Freedom Defense Fund; E.W. Scripps Company; USA TODAY NETWORK; and The Washington Post.

“Whether the news of the day concerns national security, the economy, or the environment, reporters covering the White House must remain free to ask questions.

“It is imperative that independent journalists have access to the President and his activities, and that journalists are not barred for arbitrary reasons,” the statement read.

The White House has filed its memo of opposition against CNN and Acosta’s lawsuit ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, arguing that the First Amendment did not guarantee access to the White House.

In a 23-page memo, the White House argued: “The president and his staff have absolute discretion over which journalists they grant interviews to, as well as over which journalists they acknowledge at press events.

“That broad discretion necessarily includes discretion over which journalists receive on-demand access to the White House grounds and special access during White House travel for the purpose of asking questions of the President or his staff.

“No journalist has a First Amendment right to enter the White House and the [resident need not survive First Amendment scrutiny whenever he exercises his discretion to deny an individual journalist one of the many hundreds of passes granting on-demand access to the White House complex”.

The White House memo also claimed that Acosta was given sufficient notice about the suspension of his credentials, adding Acosta “received notice of the reasons for his pass’s revocation the night it happened and again the next day”.

The White House had said last week that Acosta’s ‘hard pass’ was suspended because he refused to give up a microphone to a White House intern who tried to take it away from him during the press conference.

The White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders accused Acosta of placing his hands on the intern and distributed a video of the incident.

Sanders called the lawsuit “just more grandstanding from CNN”.

Trump told the Daily Caller on Wednesday that “Jim Acosta is just somebody who gets up and grandstands, he doesn’t even know what he’s asking you half of the time”.

The president added that he thought reporters like Acosta were “bad for the country”. (NAN)</s>WASHINGTON — The Latest on the legal challenge to the White House’s decision to strip CNN reporter Jim Acosta of his White House press credentials (all times local):

A federal judge has delayed until Friday a ruling on whether the Trump administration has to return the White House press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly isn’t offering any explanation for delaying a ruling that had been expected Thursday afternoon. He’s set a court date for 10 a.m. Friday.

Kelly is a Trump appointee who heard arguments Wednesday from lawyers representing CNN and the Justice Department.

The news network is seeking an immediate restraining order that would force the White House to hand back Acosta’s credentials, which grant reporters as-needed access to the 18-acre complex.

Acosta has clashed repeatedly with Trump and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in briefings over the last two years. The White House revoked the pass following a combative press conference last week, a day after Republicans lost control of the House in midterm elections.

The Justice Department is defending the White House’s decision to strip CNN reporter Jim Acosta of his press pass. The department is arguing that Acosta is guilty of “inappropriate grandstanding.”

The White House took the action after a heated confrontation between Acosta and President Donald Trump during a news conference last week.

In a court hearing Wednesday, Justice Department lawyer James Burnham argued that Acosta deserved to lose his access over “his refusal to comply with the general standards of a press conference.”

CNN is seeking a restraining order that would force the White House to return Acosta’s press credentials. The network’s lawyer, Theodore Boutrous, said Acosta is being singled out for his body of work, not his alleged rudeness.</s>A federal judge has delayed until Friday a ruling on whether the Trump administration has to return the White House press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly didn’t offer any explanation for delaying a ruling that had been expected Thursday afternoon. He’s set a court date for 10 a.m. Friday.

Kelly, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, heard arguments Wednesday from lawyers representing CNN and the Justice Department.

The news network is seeking an immediate restraining order that would force the White House to hand back Acosta’s credentials, which grant reporters as-needed access to the 18-acre complex.

Acosta has clashed repeatedly with Trump and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in briefings over the last two years. The White House revoked the pass following a combative press conference last week, a day after Republicans lost control of the House in midterm elections.

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During the hearing, the Justice Department defended the White House’s decision to strip Acosta of his press pass. The department argued that Acosta is guilty of “inappropriate grandstanding.”

The White House took the action after a heated confrontation between Acosta and President Donald Trump during a news conference last week.

In a court hearing Wednesday, Justice Department lawyer James Burnham argued that Acosta deserved to lose his access over “his refusal to comply with the general standards of a press conference.”

Burnham said that the White House is essentially Trump’s home and office and that the president has some right to decide who can and can’t be there.

“There’s no First Amendment right to access the White House grounds,” Burnham said.

Burnham also pointed out that CNN has dozens of other staffers with White House credentials, so excluding Acosta would not harm the network’s coverage.

CNN is seeking a restraining order that would force the White House to return Acosta’s press credentials.

The network’s lawyer, Theodore Boutrous, said Acosta is being singled out for his body of work, not his alleged rudeness.

“The White House has made very clear that they don’t like the content of the reporting by CNN and Jim Acosta,” Boutrous said. “Rudeness really is a code word for ‘I don’t like you being an aggressive reporter.'”

Trump, in an interview published Wednesday, told The Daily Caller that “guys like Acosta” were “bad for the country. … He’s just an average guy who’s a grandstander who’s got the guts to stand up and shout.”

A number of news organizations, including The Associated Press, have announced their intention to file amicus briefs with the court in support of CNN.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.</s>(CNN) — Federal judge Timothy J. Kelly sided with CNN on Friday, ordering the White House to reinstate chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta’s press pass.

The ruling was an initial victory for CNN in its lawsuit against President Trump and several top aides.

The lawsuit alleges that CNN and Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the suspension of Acosta’s press pass.

Kelly did not rule on the underlying case on Friday. But he granted CNN’s request for a temporary restraining order.

This result means that Acosta will have his access to the White House restored for at least a short period of time. The judge said while explaining his decision that he believes that CNN and Acosta are likely to prevail in the case overall.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE</s>(CNN) — Federal judge Timothy J. Kelly sided with CNN on Friday, ordering the White House to reinstate chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta’s press pass.

The ruling was an initial victory for CNN in its lawsuit against President Trump and several top aides.

The lawsuit alleges that CNN and Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the suspension of Acosta’s press pass.

Kelly did not rule on the underlying case on Friday. But he granted CNN’s request for a temporary restraining order.

This result means that Acosta will have his access to the White House restored for at least a short period of time. The judge said while explaining his decision that he believes that CNN and Acosta are likely to prevail in the case overall.

Kelly made his ruling on the basis of CNN and Acosta’s Fifth Amendment claims, saying the White House did not provide Acosta with the due process required to legally revoke his press pass.

He left open the possibility, however, that the White House could seek to revoke it again if it provided that due process, emphasizing the “very limited” nature of his ruling and saying he was not making a judgment on the First Amendment claims that CNN and Acosta have made.

Kelly was appointed to the bench by Trump last year, and confirmed with bipartisan support in the Senate.

Acosta spoke briefly outside the court and thanked his colleagues in the press who supported the lawsuit. “Let’s get back to work,” he said.

Ted Boutrous, an outside attorney representing CNN, said “This is a great day for the First Amendment and journalism.”

In a statement, CNN said, “We are gratified with this result and we look forward to a full resolution in the coming days. Our sincere thanks to all who have supported not just CNN, but a free, strong and independent American press.”

CNN has reached out to the White House to obtain Acosta’s reinstated pass and is waiting for a response, a spokesperson said.

CNN has also asked the court for “permanent relief,” meaning a declaration from the judge that Trump’s revocation of Acosta’s press pass was unconstitutional. This legal conclusion could protect other reporters from retaliation by the administration.

“The revocation of Acosta’s credentials is only the beginning,” CNN’s lawsuit alleged, pointing out that Trump has threatened to strip others’ press passes too.

That is one of the reasons why most of the country’s major news organizations have backed CNN’s lawsuit, turning this into an important test of press freedom.

But the judge will rule on all of that later. Further hearings are likely to take place in the next few weeks, according to CNN’s lawyers.

The White House took the unprecedented step of suspending Acosta’s access after he had a combative exchange with Trump at last week’s post-midterms press conference. CNN privately sought a resolution for several days before filing suit on Tuesday.

The defendants include Trump, press secretary Sarah Sanders, and chief of staff John Kelly.

Judge Kelly heard oral arguments from both sides on Wednesday afternoon.

Kelly, who has been on the federal bench just more than a year now, was very inquisitive at Wednesday’s hearing, asking tough questions of both sides, drilling particularly deep into some of CNN’s arguments.

Then he said he would issue a ruling Thursday afternoon. He later postponed it until Friday morning, leaving both sides wondering about the reason for the delay.

In public, the White House continued to argue that Acosta deserves to be blacklisted because he was too aggressive at the press conference.

Speaking with Robert Costa at a Washington Post Live event on Thursday, White House communications official Mercedes Schlapp said press conferences have a “certain decorum,” and suggested that Acosta violated that. “In that particular incident, we weren’t going to tolerate the bad behavior of this one reporter,” she said. Schlapp repeated the “bad behavior” claim several times.

When Costa asked if the White House is considering yanking other press passes, Schlapp said, “I’m not going to get into any internal deliberations that are happening.”

In court on Wednesday, Justice Department lawyer James Burnham argued that the Trump White House has the legal right to kick out any reporter at any time for any reason — a position that is a dramatic break from decades of tradition.

While responding to a hypothetical from Kelly, Burnham said that it would be perfectly legal for the White House to revoke a journalist’s press pass if it didn’t agree with their reporting. “As a matter of law… yes,” he said.

The White House Correspondents’ Association — which represents reporters from scores of different outlets — said the government’s stance is “wrong” and “dangerous.”

“Simply stated,” the association’s lawyers wrote in a brief on Thursday, “if the President were to have the absolute discretion to strip a correspondent of a hard pass, the chilling effect would be severe and the First Amendment protections afforded journalists to gather and report news on the activities on the President would be largely eviscerated.”
U.S. federal district judge Timothy J. Kelly orders the Secret Service to temporarily restore Jim Acosta's White House press pass.