White House Access: Private Citizens Sue Administration Over Media Limits
A federal lawsuit filed Monday by six individuals argues that restrictions on reporters deprive readers, teachers, and researchers of independent coverage.
By Andrew Bennett ·
Six private citizens filed a federal lawsuit in New York on Monday challenging the Trump administration's limits on which news organizations can cover the White House. The plaintiffs include a human rights advocate, a media watchdog, a university history professor, a high school teacher, a legal journalist, and a student journalist.
The complaint states that all plaintiffs depend on the White House press corps for independent reporting about the president and his administration, and that they use this reporting for scholarship, teaching, journalism, or advocacy. This marks the first legal challenge brought by news consumers rather than the outlets affected by the restrictions.
Peter Schmidt-Nowara, a high school social studies teacher in New York City, said in a statement: "I'm gravely concerned that the Trump administration's restrictions on White House reporters are cutting off access to crucial information." He added, "I joined this lawsuit because my students deserve to know what's happening in their government and to hear from a free and independent press."
The filing follows other legal disputes over press access. Last month, the administration barred journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House news conferences. A federal judge later ruled that order unconstitutional under the First Amendment and required that access be restored, though the administration continues to contest the ruling.
The lawsuit also arrives as the president weighs changes to the briefing room itself. Last week, he dismissed reports that he planned to evict journalists and reinstall a swimming pool that occupied the space starting in 1933, but confirmed he is still considering relocating the press. "I am thinking about moving the Press, and putting them in a different location, but I will use that location for very badly needed space," Trump wrote in a social media post.
Kenneth Roth, a senior fellow at Yale University and former executive director of Human Rights Watch, said such restrictions resemble patterns he has seen elsewhere. "Worldwide, I have seen how governmental leaders' efforts to penalise independent journalists are a prelude to the rise of autocracy," he said in a statement.
