On Monday, a federal judge in the United States dismissed the Associated Press's (AP) request for immediate restoration of full access to presidential press conferences, without making a ruling on the merits of the dispute between one of the world's leading news agencies and the administration of Donald Trump.
Previously, AP was barred from participating in the press pool, specifically from visiting the Oval Office, the Mar-a-Lago residence, and being on board Air Force One due to their refusal to rename the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" in accordance with an executive order signed by Trump.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, appointed by Trump, stated on Monday that the agency had not demonstrated that it suffered "irreparable harm" from the two-week-old ban.
According to him, this issue requires further examination before a final decision can be made, and he scheduled another hearing on the matter for March 20. In the meantime, the White House may restrict AP journalists' access to press conferences.
Nevertheless, McFadden warned representatives of the presidential administration that the jurisprudence concerning press freedom cases is "clearly not on the side" of those imposing such restrictions.
Following this interim ruling, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt stated on the conservative channel Fox News that "asking questions of the U.S. President in the Oval Office and on board Air Force One – is a privilege granted to journalists, not a legal right."
She also referred to AP journalists as "activists."
A couple of monitors with the inscriptions "Gulf of America" and "Victory" appeared in the briefing room.
"Targeted Attack"
AP representative Loren Easton stated that the news agency "will continue to defend the press and the public's right to express their opinions freely, without government repression."
"This is one of the core American freedoms," she added.
In the lawsuit filed by AP last Friday, three high-ranking officials from the Trump administration are named as defendants:
- Chief of Staff Susan Wiles,
- Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich,
- and White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt.
The leading American news agency described the White House ban as a "targeted attack" that "strikes at the very essence of the First Amendment."
"The Constitution does not allow the U.S. President or any other government official to coerce journalists or anyone else into using official government language to report the news," stated Charles Tobin, AP's attorney, during the court hearing.
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Attorneys representing the Trump administration argued that AP does not have a constitutional right to what they termed "special media access to the president."
"They do not have a constitutional right to indefinite access," asserted Bryan Hudak, a government lawyer. "The president can choose whom he speaks to."
Last Tuesday, Trump told reporters that their colleagues from AP would be denied access until they "complied with the name 'Gulf of America'."