White House Ordered To Restore Access To Associated Press After Trump Banned The Outlet For Refusing To Use The Term ‘Gulf Of America’

White House Ordered To Restore Access To Associated Press After Trump Banned The Outlet For Refusing To Use The Term ‘Gulf Of America’

A federal judge has ruled the White House must reinstate The Associated Press’ access to presidential events, citing First Amendment protections. “Under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists… it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints,” wrote U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden.

The AP had been barred since February 11, after refusing to adopt President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico.

“The Constitution forbids viewpoint discrimination,” McFadden added.

The ruling, which doesn’t grant the AP “first in line” access, blocks the administration from singling it out. “This is an important decision,” said Knight Institute’s Katie Fallow.

The AP’s lawsuit claimed officials punished it “because the president and his staff disagreed with the words that its journalists use.”

Donald Trump said it plainly: the AP would be excluded “until such time as they agree it’s the Gulf of America.”