White House fully restores Acosta's press pass; CNN says it will end lawsuit

The White House has restored CNN reporter Jim Acosta's press credentials, ending a brief legal battle between the news network and the Trump administration that stemmed from Acosta's regular conflicts with President Donald Trump, according to The Hill.

The White House sent a letter to Acosta to notify him of his restored access.

"Having received a formal reply from your counsel to our letter of November 16, we have made a final determination in this process: your hard pass is restored," the letter read.

How we got here: After a federal judge temporarily reinstated Acosta's credentials in response to a CNN lawsuit against the Trump administration, the White House told Acosta on Friday that he may be banned again once the judge's order expired. Acosta had until Sunday to object to that decision, so that the White House could make a final decision Monday.

New rules for press briefings: In addition to notifying Acosta that he was being given full White House access again, the letter from the White House included new rules for reporters at presidential media sessions. Reporters will be limited to one question (the president could choose to grant follow-up questions), and violation of the rules can result in any reporter losing credentials.

The rules come in response to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly's decision to temporarily restore Acosta's access because the ban violated Acosta's Fifth Amendment (due process) rights, since there were no written rules, guidelines, or procedures for such discipline.

"We have created these rules with a degree of regret," the White House letter read. "But, given the position taken by CNN, we now feel obligated to replace previously shared practices with explicit rules."

CNN ends the lawsuit: CNN, pleased with the White House's decision, said it would no longer pursue legal action for the initial ban.

"Today the @WhiteHouse fully restored @Acosta's press pass," a CNN Twitter post read. "As a result, our lawsuit is no longer necessary. We look forward to continuing to cover the White House."