Judge Orders White House to Restore Associated Press Access

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Source: Bloomberg Law

A federal judge ordered the White House to restore the Associated Press’ ability to cover President Donald Trump at the White House, on Air Force One and in restricted areas open to other media outlets.

US District Judge Trevor McFadden on Tuesday entered an injunction that requires the White House to rescind decisions to deny the AP access to events in restricted areas in a setback for the administration.

Read more: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/judge-orders-white-house-to-restore-associated-press-access

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[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. BREAKING: Judge McFadden has *granted * the AP's injunction against the White House's ban on access to the Oval Office

This makes me smile. This is from a trump appointed judge

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[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Judge orders Trump White House to restore AP access

A blow for the First Amendment issued by a trump appointed judge

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https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5238923-trump-administration-ap-access/

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to restore the Associated Press’s access to key White House spaces after it exiled AP reporters over the organization’s refusal to use “Gulf of America” in its popular stylebook.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, an appointee of President Trump, directed the White House to resume allowing the AP into the Oval Office, Air Force One and other limited spaces when they’re made available to other press pool members.

The judge also granted the AP’s request for returned access to events open to all credentialed White House reporters, though it listed several caveats.

“This injunction does not limit the various permissible reasons the Government may have for excluding journalists from limited-access events. It does not mandate that all eligible journalists, or indeed any 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’ questions they answer. And it certainly does not prevent senior officials from publicly expressing their own views,” McFadden wrote.

“No, the Court simply holds that under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists—be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere—it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints,” he wrote. “The Constitution requires no less.”

[Lovie777]

3. Finally.............

[GiqueCee]

4. And John Roberts will stay this order...

... in 3... 2... 1...

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. Federal judge says White House's punishment of Associated Press is unconstitutional

The White House needs to watch out for ketchup tonight

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https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/08/politics/judge-restores-associated-press-access-to-white-house

The White House’s decision to punish the Associated Press by eliminating its access to President Donald Trump’s events, the Oval Office and Air Force One is unconstitutional, a federal judge said Tuesday.

The preliminary injunction issued Tuesday afternoon against the White House by US District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, is a major blow to the administration’s efforts to curtail the AP’s access to the president based on news coverage it dislikes.

“The Government offers no other plausible explanation for its treatment of the AP. The Constitution forbids viewpoint discrimination, even in a nonpublic forum like the Oval Office,” McFadden wrote in the 41-page ruling.

Earlier this year, Trump imposed a ban on the AP to punish the news organization over its decision to continue using the phrase “Gulf of Mexico” even though Trump renamed the body of water “Gulf of America.”

“The AP seeks restored eligibility for admission to the press pool and limited-access press events, untainted by an impermissible viewpoint-based exclusion. That is all the Court orders today: For the Government to put the AP on an equal playing field as similarly situated outlets, despite the AP’s use of disfavored terminology,” McFadden added later.

“The Court merely declares that the AP’s exclusion has been contrary to the First Amendment, and it enjoins the Government from continuing down that unlawful path.”

[louis-t]

6. See, all you other asshole cowards?

If you stand up to him, you will win.

[tavernier]

9. Until the SCROTUS reverses

[JustAnotherGen]

7. Good!

AP is my go to news source!

[moniss]

8. I'm OK with the AP but I favor Reuters and AFP for

international news.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

10. MddowBlog-Trump-appointed judge orders White House to restore Associated Press access

White House officials tried to bully a major news organization into submission over the "Gulf of America." A Trump-appointed judge ruled against them.
https://bsky.app/profile/stevebenen.com/post/3lmdfifmxys2p

In case this isn't obvious, Judge McFadden is a Trump-appointee and Federalist Society member. (Something to keep in mind in case House Republicans add him to their impeachment list.)

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https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-appointed-judge-orders-white-house-restore-associated-press-acce-rcna200377

In February, Donald Trump and his White House team announced that they’d already won their case against The Associated Press in the “Gulf of America” case. In fact, following a procedural development in February, the White House heavily promoted images featuring the Republican-preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico and a giant “VICTORY” stamp over the southeastern United States.

Those inclined to believe the president and his political operation likely assumed that the case was over. It was not. In fact, as NBC News reported, a federal judge has now ruled against the White House.

A federal judge on Tuesday called The Associated Press’ exclusion from White House events “contrary to the First Amendment” and ordered the Trump administration to treat the newswire as it would any other media publication. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden ... ordered the administration to “put the AP on an equal playing field as similarly situated outlets, despite the AP’s use of disfavored terminology.”

“Under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists — be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere — it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints,” McFadden added in his ruling....

The president and his lawyers are expected to appeal the ruling (McFadden's order won't take effect until Sunday, giving the administration several days to file an emergency appeal), but as the case proceeds, it’s worth re-emphasizing the fact that there are larger principles at stake that are far broader than what people call a body of water. Indeed, this controversy, at its root, is about a White House waging an aggressive campaign against the free press and, in this instance, is also trying to bully one of the nation’s leading news organizations into submission as part of an Orwellian campaign.

Team Trump appears to have embraced a vision of the First Amendment in which people and businesses are free to use the words and phrases that Republicans like — or face the consequences.

A conservative federal judge has now told the White House that such a position is unconstitutional.

This will be fun to watch

[republianmushroom]

11. Has the WH told this judge to go pound sand.

They will, wait for it.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

12. trump has filed a notice of appeal

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