Judge Rules White House Cannot Blacklist AP Over Naming Dispute

Judge Trevor N. McFadden, a Trump appointee, issued a 41-page order declaring that the government may not bar journalists from pool access based on their editorial viewpoints. The dispute centers on the administration's decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America," a designation the AP declined to use. Following this editorial choice, the White House effectively froze the agency out of critical access, including the Oval Office and Air Force One, beginning February 11.

In his ruling, McFadden clarified that while the administration retains broad discretion over which journalists it chooses to interview or grant private access, it cannot selectively shut doors to reporters based on the content of their coverage. The court granted the AP’s request for a preliminary injunction against Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich, and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Despite the legal victory, the administration has been granted a brief stay until next week to consider an appeal, and reports indicate that AP journalists were still being denied access to a presidential motorcade hours after the decision was released.