A federal judge in Washington, DC, has chosen not to overturn a prior ruling that permitted President Trump’s administration to limit access for the Associated Press to particular areas of the White House.
The White House had excluded the Associated Press from the Press Pool, a group of rotating reporters tasked with covering the president’s daily engagements.
In June, the U.S. Court of Appeals put a temporary hold on an early April order from a district court judge that had allowed the AP to regain access to important White House spaces.
Judge Justin Walker noted in his ruling this week that, “Whether or not these names will be accepted or at least partially a political choice,” and cited the AP’s refusal to label something as “American Gulf” as an example of their exercise of political speech.
The Trump administration has attempted to restrict access and scrutinize coverage from media outlets that he believes have reported unfairly.
On Monday, White House press chief Caroline Leavitt referenced the judge’s decision in the AP case after announcing a ban on the organization from covering future trips to Scotland.
Trump is currently suing the journal for a story published earlier this month, alleging that it claimed he had written a letter to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This legal action arises as Democrats and allies in the media have been pushing for more transparency regarding the White House and the Epstein case, particularly following a controversial memo released last week.
In a statement provided to Hill on Tuesday, an Associated Press spokesperson expressed disappointment in the procedural ruling, but reaffirmed their focus on the strong district court opinion supporting free speech.
“We maintain that the press and the public have a fundamental right to communicate freely without government retaliation,” the spokesperson emphasized. “We are eager to continue delivering strong, factual, and nonpartisan coverage of the administration.”
Update: 5:38pm
