A US judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily reinstate the press pass of CNN's Jim Acosta.
The credentials of the network's Chief White House Correspondent were taken away after he clashed with President Trump at a press conference last week.
Mr Acosta accused the White House of lies, after it accused him of putting his hands on an intern who tried to take the microphone from him while asking a question.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders had posted an altered video of the incident, in a bid to make it look like Mr Acosta's gesture was more aggressive than it actually was.
We stand by our decision to revoke this individual’s hard pass. We will not tolerate the inappropriate behavior clearly documented in this video. pic.twitter.com/T8X1Ng912y
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) November 8, 2018
The White House decision to revoke the 'hard pass' prompted a lawsuit from CNN.
A federal judge in the US has today ruled in favour of CNN and granted a temporary restraining order - meaning Mr Acosta's access will have to be restored for now.
A final decision has yet to me made, although the judge indicated CNN is likely to prevail unless the Trump administration satisfies the requirement for 'due process'.
Both the news network and Mr Acosta welcomed the decision:
Statement from CNN and @Acosta on today’s ruling: “We are gratified with this result and we look forward to a full resolution in the coming days. Our sincere thanks to all who have supported not just CNN, but a free, strong and independent American press.”
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) November 16, 2018
