A federal judge ordered the White House on Tuesday to restore the full access of the Associated Press to cover presidential events, claiming for the first amendment that the government cannot punish the press organization for the content of its speech.
US district judge Trevor N. McFadden, appointed President Donald Trump, said the government could not retaliate against the AP’s decision not to follow the president Executive decree to rename the Gulf of Mexico. The decision, although a preliminary injunction, awarded a major victory At one time, the White House challenged the press on several levels.
“Under the first amendment, if the government opens its doors to certain journalists – whether at the oval office, at the East Room, or elsewhere – it cannot close these doors to other journalists because of their views,” McFadden wrote. “The Constitution requires no less.”
It was not clear if the White House would move immediately to put into force McFadden’s decision. McFadden kept the implementation of his order for a week, giving the government time to answer or call. Shortly after the decision, an AP journalist and photographer were diverted from joining a motorcycle with the White House press pool to cover the appearance of Trump in front of the National Committee of the Republican Congress.
The PA has been blocked since February 11, to be among the small group of journalists to cover Trump in the Oval Office or on board the Air Force One, with a sporadic capacity to cover it during events in the East room.
“We are satisfied with the court’s decision,” said AP spokesperson Lauren Easton. “Today’s decision affirms the fundamental right of the press and the public to speak freely without reprisals of the government. This is guaranteed freedom for all Americans of the American Constitution. ”
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, One of the administration officials appointed to the trial did not immediately send a message asking for comments. In its action submitted on February 21, the AP continued Leavitt, the Chief of the Childhood Staff of the White House Susie Wiles and the deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich.
Many media have played in defense with this administration
Trump has aggressively attacked the media on several fronts since his return according to. The Federal Communications Commission has open prosecution against ABC, CBS and NBC News. Administration has has sought to reduce the financing of the information services led by the government as a voice of America and is threaten public funding for PBS and NPR public broadcasters To be allegedly too liberal in media coverage.
The AP had asked McFadden to rule that Trump officials had violated the constitutional right of the AP for freedom of expression by taking action because the president and his staff disagreed with the words that his journalists used. He had previously refused the AP request to overthrow the changes by an injunction.
Due to its broad range, the AP has always been included in “swimming pools” for the cover of presidential events in places like the Oval Office and Air Force One. McFadden warned that his decision does not necessarily announce a return to these days.
“The court does not order the government to grant permanent access to the oval office, the East Room or any other media event,” he wrote. “He does not grant an AP.
The judge said his decision does not prohibit a government official to choose the points of sale to do interviews or choose the questions of journalists to whom they choose to answer at a press conference.
“This is an important decision,” said Katie Fallow, deputy director of litigation at the Knight First Amendment Institute of Columbia University. “The first amendment means that the White House cannot prohibit the media from covering the president simply because they do not see his favorite language.”
And Floyd Abrams, a long -standing lawyer for freedom of disposition, cited American history in his reaction: “What a splendid and well – the triumph of the first amendment deserved. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison would be satisfied and relieved. ”
Trump came out and said why he took the step
While there was little dispute in A court hearing of March 27 On the reason why Trump retaliated to the AP – the president said it so much – the administration said that it belonged to its own discretion, and not to the correspondents of the White House or a long -standing tradition, to determine who can question the president and when.
Since the start of the dispute with AP, the White House has taken measures to control who can cover the president at smaller events and even where journalists are seated during Leavitt’s information sessions, saying that the two must better reflect changes in the way people get information.
AD decisions on the terminology to be used are followed by journalists and other writers around the world thanks to its influential style style. The point of sale said it would continue to use the Gulf of Mexico, because the body of water has been known for hundreds of years, while also noting Trump’s decision to rename it from the Gulf of America. Different points of sale have used different approaches, some pleating it by calling it the “gulf”.
“For anyone who thinks that the trial of the Associated Press against the White House of President Trump concerns the name of a body of water, thinks bigger,” wrote Julie Pace, editor -in -chief of the AP, in an editorial of the Wall Street Journal. “It is really about whether the government can control what you are saying.”
The testimony revealed that the AP coverage was hampered
Trump rejected the AP, which was created in 1846, as a group of “radical crazy” and said that “we will keep them outside until they agree that it is the Gulf of America”.
For a press organization that relies on speed as a major sale argument, the AP brought its correspondent and chief photographer of the White House to testify on March 27 before McFadden on the way in which its lack of covering certain events delayed its transmission of words and images. His lawyer, Charles Tobin, said that AP had already lost an $ 150,000 advertising contract from a client concerned about the ban.
Government lawyer Brian Hudak showed how AP had been able to use live flows or photos of other agencies to broadcast the news, and stressed that APA regularly attends the daily briefings of Leavitt.
McFadden said in the decision on Tuesday in the case, Associated Press c. Budowich et al, that the government was “cheeky” on the reasons why it excluded the AP.
“The government does not offer any other plausible explanation for its AP treatment,” wrote the judge. “The Constitution prohibits discrimination of point of view, even in a non -public forum like the oval office.”
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David Bauder writes on the media for the AP. Follow him to http://x.com/dbauder And https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social
