Washington - The Associated Press (AP) on Friday (21/2) filed a lawsuit against three Trump administration officials after its journalists were barred from White House events, the Oval Office and Air Force One for not using the term "Gulf of America" in their reporting.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, asserts that the ban violates the First Amendment as well as the due process clause in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The AP asked for an emergency hearing and a court order declaring the ban unconstitutional.
"The press and all Americans have the right to choose their own words without government retaliation. The Constitution does not allow the government to control free speech. If this action is allowed to continue, it is a threat to the freedom of every citizen," AP attorneys said in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit names White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich as defendants.
The White House's move was prompted by the AP's decision to continue using the term "Gulf of Mexico" in its reporting, despite President Donald Trump issuing an executive order renaming it the "Gulf of America."
Trump defended the decision Tuesday, insisting he would not allow the AP back into the Oval Office until they "acknowledge that this is the Gulf of America."
"The Associated Press, as you know, has made many mistakes in their reporting on the election, on Trump, on the treatment of Trump, on many other things related to Trump, the Republican Party, and conservatives," Trump said.
"They didn't do anything to help us, so I guess I won't help them either. That's how life goes," he added.
While the White House argues that the AP retains press credentials like other media outlets, the AP says the ban on its journalists from "press pool" coverage -- including the president's question-and-answer session in the Oval Office -- has hampered access for millions of people who depend on its reporting.