WASHINGTON — A federal judge was hearing arguments Monday afternoon in The Associated Press’ lawsuit against three staff members of President Donald Trump, whose administration has barred the news agency from presidential events.
The AP is appearing in federal court in Washington over its emergency motion to undo the administration’s move to shut its journalists out of the Oval Office, Air Force One and other areas where the outlet has long operated as part of the White House press pool.
The dispute stems from the news agency’s refusal to conform to Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” The AP says it is adhering to the “Gulf of Mexico” terminology because its audience is global and the waters are not only in U.S. territory, but it is acknowledging Trump’s rechristening as well.
AP says the issue strikes at the very core of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, which bars the government from punishing speech. The White House says access to the president is a privilege, not a right.