Overview
- U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ordered simultaneous, publicly accessible ASL interpretation for all publicly announced press briefings by President Trump or Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
- The court rejected the administration’s claim that on-screen interpretation would be a “major incursion,” noting that remote implementation is readily feasible.
- Ali found the plaintiffs likely to show a violation of the Rehabilitation Act and described the exclusion of deaf viewers as a clear, present, and imminent harm.
- The injunction does not extend to events involving Vice President JD Vance, First Lady Melania Trump, Second Lady Usha Vance, or to White House videos.
- The administration must file a status report on compliance by Nov. 7, following a suit brought by the National Association of the Deaf and Derrick Ford.