A federal appeals court has ruled that the White House may exclude the Associated Press (AP) from accessing restricted areas such as the Oval Office, Mar-a-Lago, and Air Force One if it chooses, temporarily reversing a lower court’s order that had mandated AP’s access to these spaces. The decision came in a 2-1 ruling on June 6, 2025, as part of an ongoing legal battle over press access to the president.
The court held that these limited presidential spaces are not traditional public forums protected by the First Amendment for expressive activities. Judge Neomi Rao, writing for the majority, emphasized that the Oval Office and similar areas are private workspaces where the president retains discretion over who is admitted, including the ability to exclude journalists based on viewpoint.
However, the court did not extend this exclusion to larger venues like the East Room, where the AP must still be granted access. The ruling effectively allows the White House to continue barring AP reporters from intimate presidential settings while the case proceeds through the appeals process.
The dispute arose after the White House limited AP’s access following the news agency’s refusal to adopt President Donald Trump’s directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in its editorial style guide. AP argued that the ban was retaliatory and violated its First Amendment rights, while the Trump administration maintained that the president has full authority to control media access to sensitive areas.
The lower court had previously ruled in favor of AP, ordering the restoration of full access, but the appeals court’s stay of that order marks a setback for the news organization. The case is expected to continue through further appeals, with significant implications for press freedom and presidential media relations.
The Associated Press has condemned the exclusion as discriminatory, while the White House has defended its authority to regulate access to private presidential spaces. This ruling underscores the ongoing tensions between the administration and the press corps over access and editorial independence.