Digging deeper into the judge’s ruling on Jim Acosta’s press pass

By MixDex Article may include affiliate links

Though a federal judge sided with CNN and ordered the White House to restore its White House Correspondent Jim Acosta’s “hard pass,” the order also left some areas untouched.

• The ruling on CNN’s emergency motion did state that the White House must “immediately” restore Acosta’s access.
• The ruling specifically referenced that Acosta was likely denied due process and the revocation of his pass caused “irreparable harm.”
• The White House revoked his pass after a combative press conference the day after the midterm elections.
• Trump officials issued multiple explanations about why Acosta’s pass was revoked, and the judge cited those multiple explanations in the ruling.
• The judge also pointed out it was not clear who made the decision to revoke Acosta’s pass.
• The ruling, however, was carefully worded to emphasize that it did not cover any of the First Amendment issues surrounding the case.
• Although commonly referred to as a “press pass,” the ruling and lawsuit technically involved Acosta’s “hard pass,” a specific type of pass that allows the White House Press Corps access to the White House grounds.
• Hard passes are issued, after extensive background checks, for journalists assigned to the White House as well as others who must regularly visit the White House.