The Associated Press logo is shown at the entrance to the news organization's office in New York on Thursday, July 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Jackson, File2025-04-08T21:16:18Z A federal judge ordered the White House on Tuesday to restore The Associated Press full access to cover presidential events, ruling on a case that touched at the heart of the First Amendment and affirming that the government cannot punish the news organization for the content of its speech.U.S.. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, an appointee of Donald Trump, ruled that the government had cant retaliate against the APs decision not to follow the presidents executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico. The decision handed the AP a major victory at a time the White House has been challenging the press on several levels.Under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalistsbe it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhereit cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints, McFadden wrote. The Constitution requires no less. The AP has been blocked since Feb. 11 from being among the small group of journalists to cover Trump in the Oval Office or aboard Air Force One, with sporadic ability to cover him at events in East Room. The organization had asked McFadden to rule that Trump had violated APs constitutional right to free speech by taking the action because he disagreed with the words that its journalists use. He had earlier declined APs request to reverse the changes through an injunction.It was unclear how quickly the White House would move to put McFaddens ruling into effect. The government has a week to respond. DAVID BAUDER Bauder is the APs national media writer, covering the intersection of news, politics and entertainment. He is based in New York. twitter mailto