Federal appeals court rules Trump can ban Associated Press reporters from certain spaces

A federal appeals court on Friday ruled that the White House can revoke the Associated Press' (AP) access to certain areas of the White House, including the Oval Office, for now.

The Washington, D.C. court granted a stay on a lower court's ruling, who previously ruled the case was unconstitutional, per CBS News. 

"We grant in part the government's motion for a stay pending appeal," Judges Gregory Katsas and Neomi Rao wrote. "The White House is likely to succeed on the merits because these restricted presidential spaces are not First Amendment fora opened for private speech and discussion. 

"The White House therefore retains discretion to determine, including on the basis of viewpoint, which journalists will be admitted," they continued. "Moreover, without a stay, the government will suffer irreparable harm because the injunction impinges on the president's independence and control over this private workspaces." 

The 2-1 ruling comes after the White House pulled AP's access to the Oval Office and Air Force One earlier this year, after the outlet refused to change its style guide to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as "Gulf of America." AP has maintained it will not change its policy because it is an international organization and did not want to confuse its readers.

The Trump administration has argued that President Donald Trump should be allowed to determine who is in private places like Mar-a-Lago, the Oval Office and Air Force One. 

The administration is appealing U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden's decision, who ruled the ban violated the First Amendment, because it was directly punishing a publication for its editorial decisions.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.