Judge rules White House violated First Amendment by excluding AP

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the White House to reinstate The Associated Press’ full access to presidential events, ruling that the government violated the news agency’s First Amendment rights by excluding it over its refusal to adopt “Gulf of America” in place of “Gulf of Mexico.”

The decision by U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, a Trump appointee, affirms that the administration cannot deny access to journalists based on the content of their reporting. “If the Government opens its doors to some journalists…it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints,” McFadden said. He gave the government one week to respond or appeal before the order takes effect.

The ruling stems from a February incident in which the AP was barred from attending an Oval Office event after declining to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” following an executive order signed by Trump. The AP said it was warned that access to future presidential events would be conditioned on compliance with the order.

In its lawsuit, the AP argued that the exclusion amounted to retaliation for refusing to align its editorial standards with the president’s political agenda. The AP, which maintains one of the world’s most influential style guides, said it would continue to use “Gulf of Mexico,” which has been recognized for centuries, while acknowledging Trump’s attempt to rename it.

“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.”

According to reporting from the Associated Press, the White House has not yet confirmed whether it will immediately comply with the judge’s ruling. In the meantime, the administration has continued to restrict the AP’s ability to attend select events in the Oval Office and East Room and to travel aboard Air Force One.

At a court hearing in late March, the president’s legal team argued that the administration has discretion over which reporters attend smaller events, saying it reflects evolving media consumption habits. They noted that the AP continues to have access to daily press briefings and livestreams.

But the agency said it had suffered delays in delivering words and images, and even lost a $150,000 advertising contract as a result of diminished access. The AP is a central content provider for thousands of media outlets worldwide and has historically been part of small press pools covering the presidency.

President Trump has publicly lashed out at the AP, calling the outlet a group of “radical left lunatics” and vowing to exclude it from events “until such time as they agree it’s the Gulf of America.”

The AP filed suit in February against Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich, claiming the ban violated both longstanding press traditions and constitutional protections.