Judge Kelly’s Previous Experience with Press Access Disputes
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly is once again handling a White House press access lawsuit involving CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, filed against the current administration. Kelly previously addressed a similar case in 2018. In that instance, he ordered the temporary restoration of CNN’s Jim Acosta’s press pass after the Trump administration barred Acosta following a contentious press conference interaction.
CNN and Acosta argued they were denied due process and faced discrimination. The same arguments are central to the current lawsuit. Judge Kelly did not issue a detailed written ruling in the 2018 case. It ended with the administration voluntarily reinstating Acosta’s pass days after Kelly’s oral decision from the bench.