A federal judge has ordered the Trump White House to restore Associated Press access to official events, ruling that the administration’s ban on AP journalists violated constitutional protections of press freedom and viewpoint neutrality.

The ban, enacted in February after the AP refused to comply with President Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” had barred the outlet’s reporters from entering the White House press pool, covering events in the Oval Office, or boarding Air Force One.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden—himself a Trump appointee—wrote that the government “cannot exclude journalists from generally accessible press events simply because it disagrees with their editorial stance.” The decision marks a rare judicial rebuke of Trump’s increasingly aggressive efforts to control media access.

AP executives hailed the ruling as a victory for press freedom. “This is not just about the AP,” said Executive Editor Julie Pace. “This is about whether any government in this country can retaliate against journalists for doing their job.”

The Trump administration has announced plans to appeal. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President “reserves the right to control hostile propaganda in the White House” and called the decision “judicial overreach.”

Legal experts, however, say the court was clear: viewpoint-based exclusion from public press functions violates the First Amendment. “This ruling reaffirms that presidents are not above constitutional boundaries,” said constitutional law scholar Maya Welch.

The case has drawn support from major press freedom organizations, which argue that arbitrary revocation of press credentials threatens the very foundation of democratic accountability. The White House Correspondents’ Association filed an amicus brief backing the AP.

While the ruling applies specifically to the AP, it sends a broader signal: political retaliation against the press remains illegal—even under a president who has made hostility toward journalism a cornerstone of his messaging.

The Crustian Daily will continue monitoring the appeal and any further retaliation efforts against noncompliant outlets.