Incident
United States: White House suspension of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's hard pass, November 2018
On November 7, 2018, the White House suspended the hard pass of CNN's White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, after what Gulf News called a "heated confrontation" between Acosta and the president of the United States, Donald Trump, at a news conference after the country's midterm elections. A hard pass is the standing credential that lets a reporter enter the White House press area without applying each day. On November 16, 2018, a federal judge granted CNN a temporary restraining order requiring the pass to be reinstated, and the White House restored it on November 19, 2018, after which CNN dropped its lawsuit.1
What happened
On November 7, 2018, after an exchange between CNN correspondent Jim Acosta and the president of the United States, Donald Trump, at a news conference following the midterm elections, the White House revoked Acosta's hard pass, the credential that gave him routine access to the White House grounds.2314
CNN sued. On November 16, 2018, Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the federal trial court in Washington, D.C., granted a temporary restraining order, a short-term order made before a full hearing, requiring that the pass be reinstated. He applied the due process framework of Sherrill v. Knight, a 1977 appeals court decision that a White House press pass may not be denied without notice, a chance to respond and written reasons.2314
The White House restored Acosta's pass on November 19, 2018, and CNN dropped its suit. The White House then issued written rules for reporters' conduct when asking questions at news conferences.2314
Status as of 2026-09-22: Ended. The pass was restored on November 19, 2018, and CNN dropped its lawsuit, Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump, No. 1:18-cv-02610 (D.D.C.).3
What reason was given
Stated justificationThe White House said Acosta had placed his hands on "a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern" when she tried to take the microphone from him. CNN disputed that account.4
What changed for reporting
Acosta could not enter the White House grounds with his hard pass from November 7 to November 19, 2018. After the case, the White House issued its first written rules for reporters' conduct at news conferences.2
Timeline
2018
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | other | President of the United States |
| Timothy J. Kelly | ruled | Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| CNN | outlet | affected |
| Jim Acosta | journalist, CNN | affected |
Court cases
| Case | Court | Docket | Status | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherrill v. Knight | United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit | decided | precedent cited | |
| Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump | U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia | 1:18-cv-02610 | dismissed | arising from |
Sources
- Judge reinstates Acosta press pass
- Trump banned CNN's Jim Acosta from the White House in 2018. Where is he now? archived copy
- White House restores Jim Acosta's press pass, CNN drops lawsuit
- White House revokes press pass of CNN's Jim Acosta archived copy
- Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump, docket 1:18-cv-02610
- Jim Acosta: White House pulls CNN reporter's pass after Trump press conference archived copy
- White House suspends CNN journalist Acosta after Trump confrontation archived copy
- White House suspends CNN's Acosta after Trump confrontation archived copy
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- The White House revoked Acosta's hard pass following the press-conference exchange.
The White House on Wednesday suspended the press pass of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after he and President Donald Trump had a heated confrontation during a news conference.
White House suspends CNN journalist Acosta after Trump confrontation archived copy, Gulf News, 2018-11-07.Claim 46, checked 2026-09-22. - Acosta could not access the White House grounds under his usual credential until the pass was restored.
your hard pass is restored,
White House restores Jim Acosta's press pass, CNN drops lawsuit, Yahoo News / AP, 2018-11-19.Claim 44, checked 2026-09-22. - The White House restored Acosta's pass and CNN dropped its lawsuit.
lawsuit is no longer necessary
White House restores Jim Acosta's press pass, CNN drops lawsuit, Yahoo News / AP, 2018-11-19.Claim 45, checked 2026-09-22. - The White House said Acosta placed his hands on an intern during the exchange, a characterization CNN disputed.
placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern
White House suspends CNN's Acosta after Trump confrontation archived copy, Al Jazeera, 2018-11-08.Claim 47, checked 2026-09-22.