# Associated Press v. Budowich

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, No. 1:25-cv-00532 (D.D.C.); No. 25-5109 (D.C. Cir.), filed February 21, 2025

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 7 sources.

- Caption: Associated Press v. Budowich
- Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
- Court level: trial court
- Docket: 1:25-cv-00532 (D.D.C.); No. 25-5109 (D.C. Cir.)
- Filed: 2025-02-21
- Decided: 2025-06-06
- Status: on appeal

## What the court held

The district court (Judge Trevor N. McFadden, 2025-04-08) granted a preliminary injunction ordering AP's access restored and then stayed it pending appeal. A D.C. Circuit panel (Judges Pillard, Katsas and Rao, 2025-06-06) granted a partial stay, 2 to 1, holding that the Oval Office, Air Force One, Mar-a-Lago and the Cabinet Room are restricted spaces where access is a matter of presidential discretion, and leaving AP's East Room access in place; Judge Pillard dissented. The full D.C. Circuit denied rehearing en banc on 2025-07-22.[1][2][3][4]

Status as of 2026-09-22: On appeal.[1][2][3][4]

## Incidents

- [United States: White House exclusion of the Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One, February 2025 (arising from)](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-white-house-bars-ap-gulf-of-america)

## Documents and reporting

1. Associated Press v. Budowich. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press_v._Budowich (Wikipedia).
2. Associated Press v. Budowich. https://www.rcfp.org/briefs-comments/associated-press-v-budowich/ (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press).
3. The Associated Press v. Budowich. https://knightcolumbia.org/cases/the-associated-press-v-budowich (Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University).
4. AP sues White House officials over Gulf of America access ban. https://www.npr.org/2025/02/21/nx-s1-5305226/ap-sues-white-house-gulf-of-america-mexico-trump Archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260918063352/https://www.npr.org/2025/02/21/nx-s1-5305226/ap-sues-white-house-gulf-of-america-mexico-trump (NPR, 2025-02-21).
5. The Associated Press v. Budowich, docket 1:25-cv-00532. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69662918/the-associated-press-v-budowich/ (CourtListener / Free Law Project, 2025-02-21).
6. Judge orders AP's Oval Office, Air Force One access restored. https://www.npr.org/2025/04/08/nx-s1-5342369/ap-white-house-court-ruling-oval-office-gulf-of-mexico-america (NPR, 2025-04-08).
7. Associated Press v. Taylor Budowich, opinion. https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10600096/associated-press-v-taylor-budowich/ (CourtListener / Free Law Project, 2025-06-06).

## Claims cited

[1] District Judge Trevor N. McFadden granted a preliminary injunction on April 8, 2025 ordering AP's access restored. Quote: "rescind the denial of the AP's access to the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other limited spaces based on the AP's viewpoint when such spaces are made open to other members of the White House press pool." Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project, 2025-06-06. Associated Press v. Taylor Budowich, opinion. https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10600096/associated-press-v-taylor-budowich/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/20, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] A D.C. Circuit panel granted the government's request for a stay pending appeal in part, in a 2-1 decision, on June 6, 2025. Quote: "On June 6, 2025, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Circuit of the District of Columbia, composed of judges Cornelia Pillard, Gregory G. Katsas, and Neomi Rao, granted in part a stay pending appeal, in a 2-1 decision." Source: Wikipedia. Associated Press v. Budowich. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press_v._Budowich Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/21, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] The Court of Appeals left the preliminary injunction in place only as it concerns AP's access to the East Room. Quote: "Thus, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the preliminary injunction to restore AP access only to the extent concerning the East Room." Source: Wikipedia. Associated Press v. Budowich. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press_v._Budowich Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/22, checked 2026-09-22.

[4] The case is docketed as Associated Press v. Taylor Budowich, No. 25-5109 in the D.C. Circuit and 1:25-cv-00532-TNM in the district court. Quote: "Associated Press v. Taylor Budowich, in his official capacity as White House Deputy Chief of Staff, et al." Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project, 2025-06-06. Associated Press v. Taylor Budowich, opinion. https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10600096/associated-press-v-taylor-budowich/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/23, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/cases/ap-v-budowich-2025. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.