‘If the government opens its doors to some journalists – be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere – it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints’
By Joe Kovacs
A federal judge on Tuesday took the battle over the Gulf of America to a new level, ordering the White House to restore Associated Press access to the Oval Office and other spaces after President Donald Trump banned the news agency’s reporters for their continued use of the previous Gulf of Mexico name.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, ordered access for the AP into the Oval Office, Air Force One and other limited spaces when available to other members of the media pool.
“Under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists – be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere – it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints,” McFadden wrote.
“The Constitution requires no less.”