US judge to hear AP challenge to Trump's ban over use of Gulf of Mexico name

By Andrew Goudsward

A federal judge on Monday is set to consider a request by the Associated Press to restore full access for the news agency's journalists after President Donald Trump's administration barred them for continuing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico in coverage.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, is scheduled to hear the AP's motion for a temporary restraining order against the administration at 3 p.m. ET (2000 GMT) in Washington federal court.

The AP sued three senior Trump aides on Friday, arguing that the decision to block its reporters from the Oval Office and Air Force One violates the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections against government abridgment of speech by trying to dictate the language they use in reporting the news. The news agency is seeking to immediately restore its access to all areas available to the White House press pool.

White House spokesman Steven Cheung in a statement called the lawsuit a "blatant PR stunt." During an appearance last week at the Conservative Political Action Conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "We feel we are in the right in this position."

Leavitt is one of the three White House officials named as defendants in the lawsuit. The other two, Chief of Staff Susan Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich, have not responded to requests for comment.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

Trump signed an executive order last month directing the U.S. Interior Department to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

The AP said in January it would continue to use the gulf's long-established name in stories while also acknowledging Trump's efforts to change it. The White House banned AP reporters in response. The ban prevents the AP's journalists from seeing and hearing Trump and other top White House officials as they take newsworthy actions or respond in real time to news events.

The White House Correspondents' Association and several press freedom groups have criticized the move. Reuters released a statement in support of the AP.