Court allows AP to return to the Oval Office

Federal judge Trevor McFadden, who according to media reports was appointed by US President Donald Trump during his first term in office, cited the constitution as the reason. He gave the government until April 13 to file an appeal.

The background to the conflict is the AP's refusal to use Trump's renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" in its reporting. The White House has repeatedly excluded AP journalists from events for this reason and also denied access to Air Force One, the US President's plane.

According to the Constitution, if the government opens the doors to some journalists, it cannot close them to other journalists because of their views, Judge McFadden wrote in the reasons for his decision on Tuesday (local time).

The name "Gulf of Mexico" has been in use since the 16th century. The waters border several US states as well as Mexico and Cuba. Trump had ordered the renaming of the bay by decree. Accordingly, the name change applies to the area up to the maritime borders of Mexico and Cuba.

News agencies from Europe and groups campaigning for press freedom had criticized the White House for making access more difficult for AP. The Associated Press is one of the world's most important news agencies.