Washington DC [US], February 22 : Global News Organisation, The Associated Press has sued the three officials in federal court after their reporters were banned from attending United States President Donald Trump's event at the Oval Office and Air Force One, CNN reported.
AP accused the Trump administration of violating the freedom of press -which is mentioned in the First Amendment of US constitution. The ban also violated the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment which protects people from being taken away their liberty, AP alleged.
According to CNN, AP filed the suit on Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, seeking an emergency hearing and a court order to declare the ban unconstitutional and require them to rescind it.
Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, has been assigned to handle the case.
The AP was prohibited by the White House over continuing the use of the name "Gulf of Mexico" even after Trump renamed it to "Gulf of America."
"The Associated Press just refuses to go with what the law is and what has taken place; it's called the 'Gulf of America' now," Trump said at a press conference earlier this week - an event The AP was not allowed to attend.
AP argued in its complaint that the "the press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government."
"The Constitution does not allow the government to control speech. Allowing such government control and retaliation to stand is a threat to every American's freedom," AP lawyers wrote in the complaint.
Earlier in January, the US President announced that the US government would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and the change has taken effect at government agencies. However, the new name has not been recognised by other nations. The Associated Press still refers to it as the Gulf of Mexico. Other news outlets in the world have also made similar decisions.
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