AP Files Lawsuit Against Trump Officials for Exclusion from Certain White House Events
The White House is imposing penalties on the wire service for its refusal to adopt the term “Gulf of America.”
TroibNews 
The Associated Press is taking legal action against three officials from the Trump administration after it was restricted from attending certain White House events and locations, claiming infringement of its First and Fifth Amendment rights.
The lawsuit — lodged in federal district court in Washington — follows more than a week of sanctions imposed by the White House on the AP for refusing to alter its terminology regarding the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump has renamed the “Gulf of America.”
As a result, the AP has been excluded from reporting on Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and at other White House events. The complaint identifies White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich, and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as defendants.
“The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” the AP states in its lawsuit. “Allowing such government control and retaliation to stand is a threat to every American’s freedom.”
The conflict between the AP and the Trump administration arose after the AP declared it would not adopt the term “Gulf of America.” A senior editor explained that as a global news organization, the AP's language must remain “easily recognizable.” The AP indicated it would continue to refer to it as the Gulf of Mexico while acknowledging Trump’s executive order.
In response to this decision, the White House began penalizing the AP last week, restricting access to key areas, including the Oval Office and Air Force One, as part of the traditional press pool and other media events.
“We are gonna keep them out until such time that they agree that it’s the Gulf of America,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. Both Leavitt and Budowich have reiterated this viewpoint, with Leavitt stating in a press conference that the AP must accept the new terminology and Budowich claiming the AP is engaged in promoting “misinformation.”
The White House has not yet responded to inquiries regarding the lawsuit.
In its court filings, the AP contends that the ban infringes on the due process rights protected under the Fifth Amendment, arguing that the punishment was enacted without “prior or written notice of, and no formal opportunity to challenge, [this] arbitrary determination.” It also claims the action violates protections for the press found in the First Amendment.
While AP reporters and photographers still retain access to the White House, they have been removed from the press pool, which limits participation to a select group of journalists covering the president in more intimate settings, such as the Oval Office, or while traveling on Air Force One. Zeke Miller, the AP’s chief White House correspondent, noted in court records that AP journalists have also been excluded from more accessible events beyond just the pool.
Numerous journalism organizations, including the White House Correspondents Association, have condemned the ban and urged the Trump administration to change its stance.
“The Constitution does not allow the government to control speech,” the AP’s attorneys asserted.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
The lawsuit — lodged in federal district court in Washington — follows more than a week of sanctions imposed by the White House on the AP for refusing to alter its terminology regarding the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump has renamed the “Gulf of America.”
As a result, the AP has been excluded from reporting on Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and at other White House events. The complaint identifies White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich, and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as defendants.
“The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” the AP states in its lawsuit. “Allowing such government control and retaliation to stand is a threat to every American’s freedom.”
The conflict between the AP and the Trump administration arose after the AP declared it would not adopt the term “Gulf of America.” A senior editor explained that as a global news organization, the AP's language must remain “easily recognizable.” The AP indicated it would continue to refer to it as the Gulf of Mexico while acknowledging Trump’s executive order.
In response to this decision, the White House began penalizing the AP last week, restricting access to key areas, including the Oval Office and Air Force One, as part of the traditional press pool and other media events.
“We are gonna keep them out until such time that they agree that it’s the Gulf of America,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. Both Leavitt and Budowich have reiterated this viewpoint, with Leavitt stating in a press conference that the AP must accept the new terminology and Budowich claiming the AP is engaged in promoting “misinformation.”
The White House has not yet responded to inquiries regarding the lawsuit.
In its court filings, the AP contends that the ban infringes on the due process rights protected under the Fifth Amendment, arguing that the punishment was enacted without “prior or written notice of, and no formal opportunity to challenge, [this] arbitrary determination.” It also claims the action violates protections for the press found in the First Amendment.
While AP reporters and photographers still retain access to the White House, they have been removed from the press pool, which limits participation to a select group of journalists covering the president in more intimate settings, such as the Oval Office, or while traveling on Air Force One. Zeke Miller, the AP’s chief White House correspondent, noted in court records that AP journalists have also been excluded from more accessible events beyond just the pool.
Numerous journalism organizations, including the White House Correspondents Association, have condemned the ban and urged the Trump administration to change its stance.
“The Constitution does not allow the government to control speech,” the AP’s attorneys asserted.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
