Judge Rules Trump Administration Ban on US News Agency from Presidential Events Violates First Amendment Free Press Rights
A federal judge has ordered the White House to restore full access to The Associated Press (AP) to report on presidential events, nearly two months after the news agency was banned by former US President Donald Trump. The ban was imposed after the AP refused to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in its reports.
On Tuesday, United States District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, who was appointed by Trump, ruled that the government’s discrimination against news organizations based on the content of their reports violates the First Amendment’s free speech protections.
“Under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists—be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere—it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints,” McFadden wrote in his ruling. “The Constitution requires no less.”
He added, “It does not bestow special treatment upon the AP, but it cannot be treated worse than its peer wire service either.” McFadden also clarified that the decision does not prevent government officials from choosing which outlets to grant interviews or provide answers to.
It remains unclear when the White House will comply with the judge’s ruling, which will not take effect for a week to allow the government time to respond or appeal.
The AP described the decision as a “major victory” in a report on the ruling, especially at a time when the White House has been challenging the press on multiple fronts. The news agency’s win follows Trump’s criticism of the AP as “radical left lunatics” after it refused to adjust its reporting in line with his executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
“We’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree it’s the Gulf of America,” Trump had said at the time.
AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton expressed gratitude for the court’s decision, stating that the ruling “affirms the fundamental right of the press and public to speak freely without government retaliation.”
Katie Fallow, deputy litigation director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, emphasized that “the First Amendment means the White House can’t ban news outlets from covering the president simply because they don’t parrot his preferred language.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who was named in the lawsuit along with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich, did not immediately comment on the matter.
Despite the legal victory, the AP reported on Tuesday that one of its reporters and a photographer were denied access to join a motorcade with the White House press pool shortly after the ruling.
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