The Associated Press on Tuesday requested a hearing before a US Court of Appeals in Washington, aiming for a review of trials from three judge panels. This situation has permitted the Trump administration to continue hindering access to various presidential matters for the Associated Press. This ongoing dispute, lasting four months, raises concerns about the extent of journalistic access to the president as permitted by the First Amendment.
On Friday, a panel of three judges from that court ruled 2-1, stating that it is permissible for President Donald Trump to exclude AP journalists from the Oval Office.
He sought a halt to the lower court judgment on the Associated Press, arguing that the administration unjustly punished the press for its speech content.
“The appeals court’s decision to pause the district court order enables the White House to discriminate and retaliate against unfavorable speech, which is a breach of the First Amendment,” said Associated Press spokesman Patrick Max. “We are pushing for a full court hearing to address this decision, as fundamental American principles are at stake.”
A hearing before the entire court could change the situation significantly. Notably, the two judges who sided with Trump on Friday were appointed by him. The full court comprises nine judges appointed by a Democratic president, with six being Republican appointees.
Associated Press: Associated Press seeks full appeals court hearing on access to Trump administration events
Associated Press correspondent Jennifer King reports on the ongoing legal challenges regarding access to the White House.
Access to the Oval Office and Air Force events has been provided to certain news outlets since February. Following AP’s decision to keep mentioning the Gulf of Mexico, it was indicated that Trump’s reference would be changed to the US Gulf.
For decades, AP reporters and photographers—part of a 179-year-old wire service—have delivered content to thousands of news outlets globally reaching billions of people, functioning within a small pool of journalists covering the president in space-limited settings.
Currently, AP photographers have daily access to these events, while text reporters rarely obtain the same opportunity.
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David Bauder covers media for the AP. Follow him on http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.
Source: apnews.com