A federal judge in the United States on Monday (February 24) rejected the request from the Associated Press to issue a temporary restraining order to restore the news agency’s access to the Oval Office and the presidential plane “Air Force One.”
During a hearing held in Washington D.C. on Monday, Judge Trevor McFadden of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia ruled against the Associated Press’s request for an immediate approval of a temporary restraining order. The injunction sought by the Associated Press aimed to overturn a decision by the White House to bar the media outlet’s reporters from entering President Trump’s office and “Air Force One.”
Despite denying the request for a temporary restraining order, Judge McFadden scheduled another hearing for March 20 to hear arguments from the Associated Press regarding their application for a preliminary injunction.
McFadden was appointed as a federal judge in the United States during President Trump’s first term in office in 2017.
During Monday’s hearing, McFadden provided reasons for his decision to deny the Associated Press’s request at this stage of the litigation, including his disbelief that the news agency faced “irreparable harm” due to the White House’s restrictions.
He stated that even if the Associated Press was barred from attending White House press events, the news organization could still “get the same information” from the news releases provided to all members of the White House Correspondents Association.
McFadden also noted that the Associated Press waited ten days after the White House imposed the ban before filing the lawsuit, indicating that the media outlet had not suffered harm and he saw no need to intervene.
The Associated Press filed a lawsuit last Friday against three White House officials, accusing them of violating the freedom of speech rights granted by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit stemmed from the White House’s decision to restrict the news agency’s access to the White House after it refused to rename “Gulf of Mexico” in its “AP Stylebook” to “American Gulf” as per President Trump’s executive order.
The lawsuit names White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as defendants.
Lawyers for the Trump administration argued in a court document submitted before Monday’s hearing that the Associated Press does not have a constitutional right to so-called “special media access to the president.”
Please note that the translation of the names has been retained in standard English format.