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Judge Orders White House to Restore Live ASL at Presidential Press Briefings

The ruling cites unlawful exclusion under the Rehabilitation Act, with the court noting remote interpreters make compliance straightforward.

Overview

  • The order requires real-time ASL interpretation for all publicly announced briefings led by President Trump or Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, effective immediately.
  • The court limited the remedy and did not require interpretation for events by the vice president, the first lady, the second lady, or for White House videos.
  • Judge Amir Ali wrote that denying access to briefings on issues such as war, the economy, and health poses a clear, present, and imminent harm to deaf Americans.
  • The court rejected the claim that an interpreter would be a major incursion, stating that ASL does not force a speaker to share their platform and can be provided remotely.
  • Closed captioning was deemed insufficient for viewers who use ASL as a primary language, and the administration was ordered to file a compliance status report by Nov. 7.