A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order restoring Jim Acosta's press pass after he was banned by Donald Trump in 2018.
Posted by The Briefing with Jen Psaki, Checked
- Sources
- 8 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 93%
The Briefing with Jen PsakiSep 24, 2026
Multiple reliable sources from November 2018 confirm that U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order ordering the White House to restore CNN's Jim Acosta's press pass after CNN sued.
What was said
… That was Donald Trump back in 2018, yelling at then CN correspondent Jim Acosta at a press conference. It was that exchange that prompted Donald Trump to revoke Jim Acosta's press pass and ban him from the White House grounds. CN and Acosta then sued Trump, and a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order restoring Acosta's press pass. The judge cited the same due process concerns that the court used to rule in favor of Thomas Forsyth nearly 50 years prior, and so Jim Acosta got to return to the White House. …
The Briefing with Jen Psaki · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Reuters reports that a U.S. judge ordered the White House to temporarily restore Acosta's press pass, which had been revoked after a contentious news conference with President Trump.[1]
Supports. The Associated Press reports that U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the White House to immediately return Acosta's credentials, and that the administration later fully restored them.[2]
Supports. The Washington Post, NBC News and Politico each report that Judge Kelly granted CNN's motion for a temporary restraining order restoring Acosta's pass on November 16, 2018.[3][4][5]
Supports. CNN's own coverage and ABC News confirm the pass was suspended after the November 7, 2018 exchange and that the judge's order temporarily restored it while the lawsuit proceeded.[6][7][8]
Context. Sources attribute the revocation to the Trump administration and White House press secretary Sarah Sanders rather than Trump personally, a minor framing difference that does not change the core claim.[4][6]
Sources
8 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 4 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1U.S. judge orders White House to restore press pass ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2The Latest: White House to fully restore CNN reporter's passapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Jim Acosta's White House press pass temporarily restored ...washingtonpost.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 4Judge orders White House to temporarily restore CNN ...nbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 5Judge orders White House to return press credentials to CNN's Acostapolitico.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 6White House backs down from legal fight, restores Jim Acosta’s press pass | CNN Businesscnn.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 7White House must restore CNN reporter Jim Acosta's press pass ...abcnews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 8Judge orders White House to return Jim Acosta's press passedition.cnn.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Donald Trump revoked Jim Acosta's press pass the day after the 2018 midterm election.True
- Jim Acosta challenged being banned from the White House during Donald Trump's first term.True
- Three news organizations sued the Trump administration over its decision to ban journalists from the White House.True
- A federal judge found that the government's failure to devise, publicize, and utilize narrow and specific standards for the issuance or denial of press passes infringes on First Amendment rights.True
- The Trump administration argued in court that the president should be able to take immediate action to protect national security regarding the revocation of press passes.True