A U.S. federal court has ordered the White House to restore CNN reporter, Jim Acosta’s press pass following the recent controversy with President Donald Trump.
According to CNN, the Trump-appointed U.S District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, temporarily ruled in favor of CNN in its lawsuit against the president, and a number of his top aides, that alleged they violated Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights by revoking his White House Press access after accusing him of harming a staffer during a press conference.
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“It’s not a big deal,” Trump reportedly said to Fox News about the ruling. “What they said, though, is that we have to create rules and regulations for conduct, etcetera. We’re going to write them up. It’s not a big deal. If he misbehaves, we’ll throw him out or we’ll stop the news conference.”
Federal judge sides with CNN and orders the White House to reinstate Jim Acosta’s press pass. It’s an initial victory for CNN in its lawsuit. //t.co/mOipsufCTp pic.twitter.com/6JA0t54aV3
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) November 16, 2018
Judge Kelly did not make an overall ruling on the case, at this time. Instead, he ruled that the White House has to issue Acosta press credentials in the meantime while the lawsuit is worked out.
CNN and Acosta released a joint statement following the ruling, saying, “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.”
Statement from CNN and @Acosta on today’s ruling: “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 Communications (@CNNPR) November 16, 2018
Additionally, a number of freedom advocacy groups also commented on the ruling, with the ACLU saying “the White House surely hoped that expelling a reporter would deter forceful questioning, but the court’s ruling will have the opposite effect.”
“Today, a major precedent was set for the future of a free press,” the Georgetown Law’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection added. “It is a win for one reporter, but most importantly a win for the Constitution and the enduring freedoms it grants us all.”
In related news, Acosta has pinned a tweet to the top of his Twitter page that reads, “We are not the enemy of the people. I am not your enemy. You are not my enemy. It is wrong to call your fellow Americans the enemy. We are all on the same team. We are all Americans.”
