Trump-appointed judge orders White House to temporarily restore Acosta’s credentials

A federal judge on Friday ordered the White House to temporarily restore CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s credentials to cover the White House on Friday.

The ruling is a rebuke of the White House, which used doctored video and shifting explanations to bar Acosta, who is reliably critical of the Trump administration, from the White House. CNN sued the White House to restore Acosta’s access on first and fifth amendment grounds.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders announced Acosta’s banishment hours after he had a testy exchange with the president during a news conference on November 7. She falsely accused him of “laying hands” on a White House aide, and used a doctored Infowars video to support her decision.

The judge presiding over the case, US District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, is a Trump appointee. His ruling on Friday was a temporary injunction on behalf of CNN, meaning that the lawsuit is not over but Acosta will be able to return to the White House while it works its way through the courts. I

In a hearing, Kelly indicated he doesn’t buy a number of claims the White House has been pushing about Acosta and CNN.

The White House responded to Acosta’s lawsuit by arguing in a court filing that it has “broad discretion” to ban reporters. But the law, at least for now, seems on CNN’s side. Even Fox News released a statement siding with CNN.

Speaking outside the courthouse on Friday, Acosta said, “I want to thank all of my colleagues in the press who supported us this week... Let’s get back to work.”