“Today’s ruling affirms the fundamental right of the press and public to speak freely without government retaliation,” Associated Press spokesperson Lauren Easton said in a statement.
A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump and the White House to lift all current access restrictions on The Associated Press, which was banned from press conferences after it made an internal decision to continuing to use the term “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America.”
According to Reuters, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden determined that the White House must allow Associated Press journalists reasonable access to events held on the building’s grounds, in the Oval Office, and at Air Force One.
McFadden was appointed by Trump in his first term in office.
“The Court simply holds that 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.
In a March hearing, McFadden heard from two Associated Press journalists—chief White House correspondent Zeke Miller, and chief D.C. photographer Evan Vucci—who said that the unexpected restrictions hampered the organization’s ability to cover the Trump administration.
“We’re basically dead in the water on major stories.” Vucci said.
Miller suggested that the ban has already had free speech implications, testifying that he now notices a “softening of the tone and tenor of the questions that some reporters are asking of the president.
McFadden clarified that his decision will not take effect until this Sunday; he expects that the additional time will give the Trump administration an opportunity to appeal his ruling, if it so wishes.
The Associated Press has since cast the decision as an outright win.
“Today’s ruling affirms the fundamental right of the press and public to speak freely without government retaliation,” Associated Press spokesperson Lauren Easton said in a statement.
PBS notes that the Associated Press defended its choice to continue using the term “Gulf of Mexico,” the name it has had for hundreds of years.
“For anyone who thinks The Associated Press’ lawsuit against President Trump’s White House is about the name of a body of water, think bigger,” AP executive editor Julie Pace wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. “It’s really about whether the government can control what you say.”
In his decision, McFadden criticized the Trump administration for being “brazen” in its intent.
“The government offers no other plausible explanation for its treatment of the AP,” McFadden wrote. “The Constitution forbids viewpoint discrimination, even in a nonpublic forum like the Oval Office.”
Sources
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Judge lifts Trump White House restrictions on AP while lawsuit proceeds
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