White House to Temporary Reinstate CNN Reporter Acosta's Hard Pass - Press Sec.

The White House will restore press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta on a temporary basis as ordered by a federal judge, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement on Friday.

"In response to the court, we will temporarily reinstate the reporter’s hard pass," the statement said. "We will also further develop rules and processes to ensure fair and orderly press conferences in the future."

Earlier in the day, US District Judge Timothy Kelly has ordered the White House to temporarily return the press credentials of CNN's correspondent Jim Acosta, the communications office of the media outlet announced on Friday.

"We are gratified with this result and we look forward to a full resolution in the coming days," CNN's Communications team said in a Twitter statement welcoming the court order.

The CNN's lawsuit argues that the White House violated Acosta's First and Fifth Amendment rights.

The judge explained that even if CNN were to assign another correspondent to the White House, this would "not make the harm to Acosta any less real."

The judge said the Trump administration had violated Acosta's right to "due process," as required when revoking credentials. But Kelly left open the possibility that the White House could revoke Acosta's press pass again if it provides due process when doing so, CNN reported.

The journalist also thanked the judge for his decision in this case: "Let's go back to work," Acosta said as he emerged from the courtroom.

Why Acosta Was Stripped of His Press Credentials to White House?

The journalist lost his "hard pass" to the White House as he broke protocol and refused to surrender his microphone during a press conference with US President Donald Trump last week, following the midterm congressional elections.

Reacting to the move, CNN has filed a lawsuit against Trump's administration over the correspondent's press credentials. More than a dozen news outlets and journalist organizations sided with CNN and filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of CNN's lawsuit, including Fox News, NBC, the Press Freedom Defense Fund and The New York Times.

READ MORE: Fox News to Support CNN in Legal Battle Against Trump, White House

Speaking about the lawsuit, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders called it "more grandstanding from CNN", noting that other broadcaster's reporters were still allowed to enter the administration's premises. As she noted, Acosta was "no more or less special than any other media outlet or reporter with respect to the First Amendment".

READ MORE: White House Vows to 'Vigorously' Defend Against CNN's Lawsuit