A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the White House cannot prohibit Associated Press (AP) journalists and photographers from accessing the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other secure venues where reporters from other news organizations are permitted.
District Court Judge Trevor McFadden stated in an order that the White House’s actions to block AP journalists from these areas since Donald Trump took office were “contrary to the First Amendment” of the United States Constitution.
The White House had significantly reduced the wire service’s access to media events under Trump after the president’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” a change that the AP did not recognize in its coverage.
“The Court does not order the Government to grant the AP permanent access to the Oval Office, the East Room, or any other media event,” McFadden clarified in his ruling from U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. “It does not bestow special treatment upon the AP. Indeed, the AP is not necessarily entitled to the ‘first in line every time’ permanent press pool access it enjoyed under the WHCA [White House Correspondents’ Association]. However, it cannot be treated more harshly than its peer wire services either.”
In its pursuit to restore long-established access to key locations within the White House and aboard Air Force One, the AP had initiated legal action.
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