The Trump administration announced on Wednesday its intention to challenge a federal court ruling requiring it to reinstate Associated Press (AP) journalists to White House events, citing First Amendment protections. The government submitted an appeal notice on behalf of defendants Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary; Susan Wiles, the chief of staff; and Taylor Budowich, the deputy chief of staff. The appeal was filed with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, though the notice did not provide any additional information.
This action follows a decision rendered on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, appointed by then-President Donald Trump, who favored the AP against their exclusion from White House functions since February. This exclusion was reportedly due to the AP’s refusal to adhere to an executive order by Trump, which called for the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. Judge McFadden decided that retaliation based on the AP’s choice was impermissible. He stated the government cannot engage in “viewpoint discrimination,” which prohibits penalizing the organization for its editorial stance. Despite being a preliminary injunction, the ruling signifies a significant legal triumph for the AP amid rising tensions between the press and the White House.
Judge McFadden declared, “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. The Constitution requires no less.” Since February 11, AP journalists have been excluded from reporting on Trump’s meetings in the Oval Office or accompanying him on Air Force One, with limited access to events held in the East Room.
President Trump, dismissing the AP—established in 1846—as “radical left lunatics,” has insisted on excluding them until they recognize the body of water as the “Gulf of America.” Despite this, the AP remains committed to using the historically recognized name “Gulf of Mexico” in its publications, as specified in its influential stylebook, while acknowledging Trump’s renaming effort.