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. 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. 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. The White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders accused Acosta of placing his hands on the intern and distributed a video of the incident. 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 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. “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 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.” "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." 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. “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. 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. “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.
U.S. federal district judge Timothy J. Kelly orders the Secret Service to temporarily restore Jim Acosta's White House press pass.