Overview

• A federal judge ruled that the White House must reinstate the Associated Press' access to the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other restricted spaces.
• Judge Trevor McFadden emphasized that the government cannot exclude journalists based solely on their viewpoints if access is granted to others.
• The ruling was prompted by the Trump administration's February decision to ban the AP after it refused to comply with a directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
• The Associated Press filed a lawsuit, arguing that the ban violated First Amendment and due process protections, leading to today's decision.
• The court clarified that the ruling does not guarantee universal press access but prohibits discriminatory exclusions when access is granted to others.