JUST IN: Trump Defies Court Ruling With Legal Maneuver Against The AP

Court ruling notwithstanding, it doesn’t look like the Associated Press will be back in the White House on a regular basis any time soon.

The Trump administration on Wednesday nullified a pool position in its press corps that had historically been reserved for members of the AP, one of the world’s most circulated news agencies in the world.

The decision is believed to be able to withstand legal scrutiny, according to sources close to the decision makers, and comes after a federal court ruled that the administration must reinstate the news outlet after revoking its White House credentials over a semantics dispute relating to the renamed Gulf of America.

The impact will be felt by newswire customers who rely on the AP and competitors like Reuters to dispatch reporters across the globe and sell their stories in a subscription-based model. The AP estimates it circulates its coverage to more than 3,000 sites across the U.S. and more than 900 internationally.

The news agency expressed dismay in a statement on Tuesday night, telling CNN, “The administration’s actions continue to disregard the fundamental American freedom to speak without government control or retaliation. This is a grave disservice to the American people.”

At issue is the so-called “press pool,” a traveling phalanx of reporters who join the president and members of the administration on trips and in briefing areas where space is limited. The rotating journalists selected for the assignment are expected to provide coverage for all members of the White House Correspondents Association, which until the Trump administration was responsible for naming its own assignees.

On Tuesday, a new memo formalizing pool policy left out dedicated spaces for wire services; instead, there will now be a second print journalist while wires will be eligible for the two print spots. Without the preferential wire spots, the AP and Reuters will have no choice but to fight with other publications for pool space.

The dispute began when AP stylists refused to accept the White House’s demands that its journalists begin referring to the former Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, a change that has been adopted by many media outlets as well as digital map providers such as Apple and Google. Instead, the AP has continued to use the body of water’s longstanding former name while referencing Trump’s executive order designating the change.

As a result, the White House began to bar AP reporters from pool events and later even entire press conferences. The AP filed suit in federal court alleging First and Fifth Amendment violations.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden sided with the wire outlet, writing that “the Constitution forbids viewpoint discrimination, even in a nonpublic forum like the Oval Office.”

McFadden said the White House had to “put the AP on an equal playing field as similarly situated outlets, despite the AP’s use of disfavored terminology.”

Related Posts

JUST IN: DOJ Drops The Hammer On Blue State: ‘We Have Exhausted Every Other Remedy’

JUST IN: DOJ Drops The Hammer On Blue State: ‘We Have Exhausted Every Other Remedy’

One of the country’s most notorious anti-Trump governors will now reap what she sowed: a civil rights lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice, Attorney General Pam…

BREAKING: Tom Homan’s ICE Takes Down Over 100 Tren de Argua Gangsters in Colorado Town They Took Over

BREAKING: Tom Homan’s ICE Takes Down Over 100 Tren de Argua Gangsters in Colorado Town They Took Over

According to recent reports, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested over 100 members of the criminal Tren de Aragua gang in Aurora, Colorado.  Over the past few…

WATCH: Trump Declares War on the Deep State

WATCH: Trump Declares War on the Deep State

Speaking in a powerful, mid-March speech about his plans for reform of the Department of Justice (DOJ), President Donald Trump put up his verbal fists and declared…

Arrest Warrant Exposes Sprawling Election Fraud 5 Blue State Democrats Engaged In

Arrest Warrant Exposes Sprawling Election Fraud 5 Blue State Democrats Engaged In

In a significant move for election integrity, five Connecticut Democrats have been charged for their involvement in a massive election fraud scheme. The beleaguered Democrats are alleged…

JUST IN: Tulsi Blindsides Deep State, Releases 10K Documents On RFK Assassination

JUST IN: Tulsi Blindsides Deep State, Releases 10K Documents On RFK Assassination

A trove of more than 10,000 documents about the assassination of former U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy has begun to be released, Tulsi Gabbard announced Friday. Gabbard, President…

Longtime GOP Senator Ripped After Questioning Trump Admin Publicly

Longtime GOP Senator Ripped After Questioning Trump Admin Publicly

One of the longest-serving Republicans in the U.S. Senate is in the crosshairs of MAGA supporters after he publicly questioned the Trump administration’s rationale for revoking the…