In a statement, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that the government spoke with Acosta on Monday afternoon and told him that his press pass had been fully restored, a gesture whereby the administration backed off from the threats it had been making prior to that to exclude him from further access to the White House. WASHINGTON — The White House fully restored CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta’s hard pass on Monday, and the news network in turn ended their litigation against the Trump administration. As a result, our lawsuit is no longer necessary," CNN tweeted. We look forward to continuing to cover the White House.”

In a letter to Acosta, the White House said it is also establishing new rules for conduct at presidential press conferences. They are listed here:
• A journalist called upon to ask a question will ask a single question and then will yield the floor to other journalists;
• At the discretion of the President or other White House official taking questions, a follow-up question or questions may be permitted; and where a follow up has been allowed and asked, the questioner will then yield the floor;
• "Yielding the floor" includes, when applicable, physically surrendering the microphone to White House staff for use by the next questioner;
• Failure to abide by any of rules (1)-(3) may result in suspension or revocation of the journalist's hard pass. Lawyers for CNN responded Monday by filing for an emergency hearing the week after Thanksgiving, “or as soon thereafter as possible.”

The letter cites “behavior” at a press conference the day after the midterms that “violated the basic standards governing such events” as the reason to suspend Acosta’s pass. Katie Townsend, legal director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said they “are very concerned by these new ‘rules’ governing press briefings.”

“While a [White House] official has always been able to decline to answer a follow-up question, these ‘rules’ suggest that a reporter could jeopardize her or his hard pass simply by attempting to ask a single follow-up question without permission,” she said via email.
The White House also issues a set of four guidelines reporters must follow at press conferences to avoid further press pass revocations.