Judge: White House must restore AP’s access to Oval Office, Air Force One

• A U.S. District Court judge ruled that the Trump administration must restore the Associated Press’ access to the Oval Office and Air Force One. The decision comes following a lawsuit after the AP was barred for not adopting the administration’s terminology change from “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America.”
• Judge Trevor McFadden, appointed by Trump, stated the AP should be treated equally with other outlets despite its refusal to use the new name.
• The preliminary injunction issued by the judge will expire April 13 unless the administration seeks an emergency stay.

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A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that the Trump administration must restore the Associated Press’ (AP) access to the Oval Office and Air Force One, reversing restrictions placed on the news organization earlier this year.

Judge McFadden orders access for AP

Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee during his first term, ordered the White House to allow the AP into spaces made available to other members of the White House press pool. The decision follows a lawsuit filed by the AP after its journalists were barred from covering events involving the president in the Oval Office and aboard Air Force One.

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In his ruling, McFadden wrote that the AP had been singled out for its refusal to update the Gulf’s name in its stylebook, an influential writing and editing guide. He added, “While ‘the White House surely has a legitimate interest in maintaining a degree of control over media access to the White House complex,’ policy goals may never triumph over the Constitution.”

However, the judge clarified that the AP does not have permanent access to the Oval Office, the East Room, or Air Force One. McFadden concluded, “That is all the court orders today: for the government to put the AP on an equal playing field as similarly situated outlets, despite the AP’s use of disfavored terminology.”

AP’s response to the ruling

The Associated Press issued a statement in response to the ruling:

“Today a U.S. court ruled in favor of the Associated Press in our lawsuit against the government, affirming the fundamental American right to speak freely without government retaliation.

We are gratified by the court’s decision.

We look forward to continuing to provide you – and billions of people around the world – with factual, nonpartisan and independent coverage of the White House.”

Background on the restrictions

The ban was implemented after the Trump administration changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” in official references. The AP refused to adopt the new terminology in its reporting, which led to its restricted access.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the situation in a February press briefing. She stated:

“Let me just set the record straight. It is a privilege to cover this White House. It is a privilege to be the White House press secretary. And nobody has the right to go into the Oval Office and ask the President of the United States questions. That’s an invitation that is given. And there are hundreds of outlets on this campus. Many of you in this room that don’t have the privilege of being part of that pool every single day and getting to ask the President questions. We reserve the right to decide who gets to go into the Oval Office and you all have credentials to be here including the Associated Press who is in this briefing room today.”

Preliminary injunction and deadline

The judge issued a preliminary injunction, which is set to expire on April 13 unless the Trump administration seeks an emergency stay from a higher court.