# United States: White House suspension of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's hard pass, November 2018

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 8 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

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]

- Country: [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us)
- Where: United States
- Level of government: National
- Tactics: Credential control, Access bans
- Head of government at the time: [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump)
- Issue of the day: An exchange between Acosta and Trump at a White House news conference on November 7, 2018, after the United States midterm elections.
- Outcome: Reversed, November 19, 2018. A temporary restraining order of 2018-11-16 required reinstatement; the White House restored the pass on 2018-11-19 and CNN dropped the suit.
- Era: The 2010s

## 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.[2][3][1][4]

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.[2][3][1][4]

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.[2][3][1][4]

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

The 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

- 2018-11-07: United States: White House suspension of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's hard pass, November 2018

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/donald-trump) | other | President of the United States |
| [Timothy J. Kelly](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/timothy-j-kelly) | ruled | Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [CNN](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/cnn) | outlet | affected |
| [Jim Acosta](https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/jim-acosta) | journalist, CNN | affected |

## Court cases

| Case | Court | Docket | Status | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Sherrill v. Knight](https://thewaronnews.com/cases/sherrill-v-knight-1977) | United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit |  | decided | precedent cited |
| [Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/cases/cnn-v-trump-2018) | U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia | 1:18-cv-02610 | dismissed | arising from |

## Sources

1. Judge reinstates Acosta press pass. https://freedom.press/issues/judge-reinstates-acosta-press-pass/ (Freedom of the Press Foundation, 2018-11-16).
2. Trump banned CNN's Jim Acosta from the White House in 2018. Where is he now?. https://parade.com/news/trump-banned-cnns-jim-acosta-from-the-white-house-in-2018-where-is-he-now Archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260920090444/https://parade.com/news/trump-banned-cnns-jim-acosta-from-the-white-house-in-2018-where-is-he-now (Parade).
3. 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).
4. 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).
5. 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).
6. 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).
7. White House suspends CNN journalist Acosta after Trump confrontation. https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/white-house-suspends-cnn-journalist-acosta-after-trump-confrontation-1.1541652523546 (Gulf News, 2018-11-07).
8. White House suspends CNN's Acosta after Trump confrontation. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/8/white-house-suspends-cnns-acosta-after-trump-confrontation (Al Jazeera, 2018-11-08).

## Claims cited

[1] The White House revoked Acosta's hard pass following the press-conference exchange. Quote: "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." Source: Gulf News, 2018-11-07. White House suspends CNN journalist Acosta after Trump confrontation. https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/white-house-suspends-cnn-journalist-acosta-after-trump-confrontation-1.1541652523546 Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/46, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] Acosta could not access the White House grounds under his usual credential until the pass was restored. 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/44, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] The White House restored Acosta's pass and CNN dropped its lawsuit. Quote: "lawsuit is no longer necessary" 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/45, checked 2026-09-22.

[4] The White House said Acosta placed his hands on an intern during the exchange, a characterization CNN disputed. Quote: "placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern" Source: Al Jazeera, 2018-11-08. White House suspends CNN's Acosta after Trump confrontation. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/8/white-house-suspends-cnns-acosta-after-trump-confrontation Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/47, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2018-white-house-revokes-acosta-press-pass. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.