# Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 1:18-cv-02610, filed November 13, 2018

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 5 sources.

- Caption: Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump
- Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Court level: trial court
- Docket: 1:18-cv-02610
- Filed: 2018-11-13
- Decided: 2018-11-16
- Status: dismissed

## What the court held

Judge Timothy J. Kelly granted CNN a temporary restraining order requiring the White House to reinstate Jim Acosta's hard pass, on due process grounds drawn from Sherrill v. Knight. The White House restored the pass and CNN dropped the suit.[1][2][3]

Status as of 2026-09-22: Dismissed.[1][2][3]

## Incidents

- [United States: White House suspension of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's hard pass, November 2018 (arising from)](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2018-white-house-revokes-acosta-press-pass)

## Documents and reporting

1. White House revokes press pass of CNN's Jim Acosta. https://www.npr.org/2018/11/07/665497382/white-house-revokes-press-pass-of-cnns-jim-acosta (NPR, 2018-11-07).
2. Jim Acosta: White House pulls CNN reporter's pass after Trump press conference. https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/07/media/trump-cnn-press-conference (CNN, 2018-11-07).
3. Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump, docket 1:18-cv-02610. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8169022/cable-news-network-inc-v-trump/ (CourtListener / Free Law Project, 2018-11-13).
4. Judge reinstates Acosta press pass. https://freedom.press/issues/judge-reinstates-acosta-press-pass/ (Freedom of the Press Foundation, 2018-11-16).
5. White House restores Jim Acosta's press pass, CNN drops lawsuit. https://news.yahoo.com/white-house-restores-jim-acosta-212020316.html (Yahoo News / AP, 2018-11-19).

## Claims cited

[1] Judge Timothy J. Kelly granted CNN's motion for a temporary restraining order on November 16, 2018. Quote: "Federal Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the Trump administration on Friday to temporarily reinstate CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta's press credentials." Source: Freedom of the Press Foundation, 2018-11-16. Judge reinstates Acosta press pass. https://freedom.press/issues/judge-reinstates-acosta-press-pass/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/17, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] Judge Kelly granted CNN's motion for a temporary restraining order requiring the White House to reinstate Acosta's hard pass. Quote: "Timothy Kelly, the federal judge presiding over CNN's case against the president, seemed to accept with that reasoning when he granted CNN's motion for a temporary restraining order on Friday" Source: Freedom of the Press Foundation, 2018-11-16. Judge reinstates Acosta press pass. https://freedom.press/issues/judge-reinstates-acosta-press-pass/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/18, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] The White House told Acosta "your hard pass is restored," and CNN said the lawsuit was "no longer necessary." Quote: "your hard pass is restored," Source: Yahoo News / AP, 2018-11-19. White House restores Jim Acosta's press pass, CNN drops lawsuit. https://news.yahoo.com/white-house-restores-jim-acosta-212020316.html Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/19, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/cases/cnn-v-trump-2018. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.