Court abolished access to the White House for Associated Press

On Tuesday, the US judge ordered President Donald Trump’s White House to abolish approach limitations imposed on Associated Press (AP) due to the decision of that news agency to continue using the name of the Mexican Bay in its reporting.

The command of the Trevor McFadden District Judge, whom Trump appointed during his first term, dictates the White House to allow AP journalists to access the oval office, the Air Force One presidential aircraft and the events held at the White House for the procedure for AP’s lawsuit.

« The court believes that according to the first amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists, whether it is an oval office, the eastern room or elsewhere, he cannot close those doors to other journalists because of their views, » McFadden wrote in his judgment.

McFadden said his verdict would not enter into force until Sunday for Trump’s administration to have time to appeal.

In February, AP sued three senior Trump helpers, stating that the restrictions were an attempt to force the media to use a language that prefers administration. The lawsuit claimed that the restrictions of the violation of the protection of freedom of speech and the appropriate procedure on the Constitution of the United States, since the AP could not oppose the prohibition.

Trump’s administration lawyers claimed that AP was not entitled to what the White House called a « special approach » to the president.

McFadden first refused AP’s request to suspend the limitations with an emergency order, but noticed that the courts generally set aside from journalists in cases involving access to the media.

The White House began to limit access to APs on the occasion of several events that included Trump after the news agency said it would continue to use the name of the Mexican Bay that Trump changed to the US Bay with its order.

Two AP journalists, Zeke Miller, the main correspondent of the White House agency, and Evan Vucci, his main photographer from Washington, told the court at the hearing on March 27 that the limitations prevented APs from reporting on Trump.

Miller said he noticed that « the tone of the questions that some journalists ask the president is softened. »

Brian Hudak, a lawyer of the Ministry of Justice representing Trump’s officials, challenged during the hearing that the AP was completely excluded. He said that the AP photographers were allowed to attend certain events in the White House, and the correspondents of the agency from abroad attended some visits to foreign leaders to the White House.

Hudak said that the White House has the authority to keep AP journalists in the president’s personal and work spaces and accused the agency, in his editorial decisions, that he « refuses to adhere to what the president believes that the Law of the United States ».

AP journalists are excluded from a group of reporters from the White House, known as « POOL Pool », which follows events in the oval office and travel with the president.

The AP is also forbidden to attend bigger events in the White House who were open to other journalists with accreditation for printing in the White House, according to a complaint of a news agency.