US appeals court will not lift limits on Associated Press access to White House

Source: Reuters

July 22, 2025 1:55 PM EDT Updated 2 hours ago


July 22 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday declined to lift restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump's administration on White House access by Associated Press journalists after the news organization declined to refer to the body of water long called the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America as he prefers.

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit kept in place a June 6 decision by a divided three-judge panel that the administration could legally restrict access to the AP to news events in the Oval Office and other locations controlled by the White House, including Air Force One.

The D.C. Circuit order denied the AP's request that it review the matter, setting up a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Associated Press in a statement on Tuesday said it was disappointed by the court's decision and will remain focused on free speech rights as the case continues. "As we’ve said throughout, the press and the public have a fundamental right to speak freely without government retaliation," the AP said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. In a lawsuit filed in February, the AP argued that the limitations on its access imposed by the administration violated the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections against government abridgment of free speech.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-appeals-court-will-not-lift-limits-associated-press-access-white-house-2025-07-22/