{"id":2421364,"date":"2025-04-08T18:38:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T22:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-orders-white-house-to-restore-associated-press-access-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-04-08T18:42:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T22:42:27","slug":"judge-orders-white-house-to-restore-associated-press-access-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-orders-white-house-to-restore-associated-press-access-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge orders White House to restore Associated Press access &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-orders-white-house-to-restore-associated-press-access-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2421364&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A federal judge has ordered the White House to restore the Associated Press&#8217;s access to presidential events, which had been restricted due to the outlet&#8217;s refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its newly designated name, the Gulf of America, as announced by President Donald Trump. U.S.District Judge Trevor McFadden, appointed by Trump, ruled that the government&#8217;s actions violated the First Amendment by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/school-investigates-students-who-declined-to-share-bathroom-with-opposite-gender-for-harassment\/\" title=\"School probes students who refused to share bathrooms with opposite gender, citing &#039;harassment&#039;.\">denying access based<\/a> on the AP&#8217;s editorial choices. The judge clarified that while the governance can choose which journalists to engage with for interviews,it cannot deny access to events open to other media outlets solely based on differing viewpoints. This decision follows escalating tensions and legal challenges between the AP and the Trump administration, with the AP&#8217;s lawsuit naming several White House officials for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rights-group-files-first-lawsuit-against-hospitals-denying-transplants-to-unvaccinated-patients\/\" title=\"Rights Group Files First Lawsuit Against Hospitals Denying Transplants to Unvaccinated Patients\">alleged constitutional violations<\/a>. The AP maintains that it will continue to refer to the body of water by its original name while acknowledging the new title. The ruling is significant in reinforcing press freedoms and access rights amid ongoing debates over media treatment by the government.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Judge orders White House to restore Associated Press access after Gulf of America dispute<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2086588\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the White House to restore&nbsp;the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/associated-press\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Associated Press<\/a><\/em>&lsquo;s&nbsp;access to key presidential events, ruling the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Trump administration<\/a>&nbsp;violated the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/first-amendment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">First Amendment<\/a>&nbsp;by barring the outlet over its refusal to adopt the name Gulf of America, formerly the Gulf of Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee to the D.C. Circuit, said the government cannot deny access to journalists &ldquo;because of their viewpoints,&rdquo; siding with the <em>AP<\/em> in a 41-page&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.277682\/gov.uscourts.dcd.277682.46.0_1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">opinion<\/a>&nbsp;that hammered down on long-standing principles of press freedom.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3374316\/jeff-hurd-breaks-with-trump-tariffs\/\">Rep. Jeff Hurd explains his rare break with Trump over tariffs<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3374436\/watch-live-trump-remarks-nrcc-dinner\/\">WATCH LIVE: Trump gives remarks at National Republican Congressional Committee dinner<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3374305\/trump-maganolia-succeed-jackson-magnolia-white-house\/\">Trump plants new &#8216;MAGAnolia&#8217; to succeed Jackson Magnolia at White House<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump walks to board Marine One after speaking with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;About two months ago, President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America,&rdquo; McFadden said. &ldquo;The <em>Associated Press<\/em> did not follow suit. For that editorial choice, the White House sharply curtailed the <em>AP<\/em>&rsquo;s access to coveted, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">tightly controlled media events<\/a> with the president.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The <em>AP<\/em> now sues the White House chief of staff, her communications deputy, and the press secretary,&rdquo; McFadden continued, &ldquo;seeking a preliminary injunction enjoining the Government from excluding it because of its viewpoint. Today, the court grants that relief.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The decision came after weeks of escalating tensions between the <em>AP<\/em> and Trump&rsquo;s press operation, which barred the wire service from entering the Oval Office, boarding Air Force One, and attending pool events after the outlet disputed the recently renamed Gulf of America by including its former title in its reporting on the subject.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The <em>Associated Press<\/em> will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen,&rdquo; the news organization said in a Jan. 23 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ap.org\/the-definitive-source\/announcements\/ap-style-guidance-on-gulf-of-mexico-mount-mckinley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">announcement<\/a> on its webpage.<\/p>\n<p>Still, McFadden clarified that the administration can continue to choose which journalists it engages with for interviews and questions &mdash; but not bar them from the same pool of events open to other news outlets.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This injunction does not limit the various permissible reasons the Government may have for excluding journalists from limited-access events,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It does not mandate that all eligible journalists, or indeed <em>any<\/em> journalists at all, be given access to the President or nonpublic government spaces. It does not prohibit government officials from freely choosing which journalists to sit down with for interviews or which ones&rsquo; questions they answer.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In essence, McFadden&rsquo;s order suggested the White House could bar the <em>AP<\/em> from press events if it barred all reporters from access.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[T]he court simply holds that under the First Amendment, if the government opens its doors to some journalists &mdash;&nbsp;be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere &mdash; it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints. The Constitution requires no less,&rdquo; McFadden said.<\/p>\n<p>The decision followed an earlier ruling in February when McFadden initially denied the <em>AP<\/em>&rsquo;s emergency request for immediate access but fast-tracked proceedings due to the &ldquo;serious constitutional questions involved.&rdquo; In that ruling, he acknowledged the news outlet&rsquo;s competitive disadvantage but questioned whether it faced &ldquo;irreparable harm,&rdquo; noting it still had access to press pool notes.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, the outlet has maintained a more limited level of access to the White House, such as attending press briefings.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>AP<\/em>&rsquo;s lawsuit names three Trump aides, including press secretary Karoline Leavitt, chief of staff Susan Wiles, and deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich, alleging violations of both&nbsp;First&nbsp;and&nbsp;Fifth amendment&nbsp;protections.<\/p>\n<p>Lawyers for the Trump administration argued that no outlet has a &ldquo;constitutional right to special access,&rdquo; citing examples such as former President Joe Biden not being required to sit down with controversial figures. However, McFadden<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3328748\/judge-rejects-associated-press-emergency-bid-restore-trump-press-access\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> suggested<\/a> at a February hearing that the administration&rsquo;s rationale for banning the <em>AP<\/em> was &ldquo;problematic&rdquo; and may not be supported under existing case law.<\/p>\n<p>Support for the <em>AP<\/em> has come from the White House Correspondents&rsquo; Association and outlets, including <em>Reuters<\/em>, which warned that the ban could distort coverage of the presidency and threaten press freedoms.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3328748\/judge-rejects-associated-press-emergency-bid-restore-trump-press-access\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">JUDGE REJECTS ASSOCIATED PRESS&rsquo;S EMERGENCY BID TO RESTORE TRUMP PRESS ACCESS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, White House officials such as Leavitt have defended themselves as one of the &ldquo;most transparent&rdquo; administrations in recent history, touting its accessibility to independent media groups and podcasters.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>contacted the White House for a response.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2086588\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2086588\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge rules White House must restore AP access after Gulf name dispute<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2421365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AP25098620025873.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[8343,50326,50433,4133,32127],"class_list":["post-2421364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-access","tag-associated-press","tag-judge-2","tag-news","tag-white-house"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AP25098620025873.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2421364"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2421368,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421364\/revisions\/2421368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2421365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2421364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2421364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2421364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}