Press Release
March 12, 2025
WASHINGTON – State Democracy Defenders Fund has joined a coalition of conservative former elected governors and representatives and legal experts, including former US Representatives Barbara Comstock and Bob Inglis, in filing a motion to submit an amicus brief to the US District Court for the District of Columbia, supporting The Associated Press (AP) in its lawsuit against Trump Administration officials. The brief urges the court to issue a preliminary injunction reversing the White House’s decision to exclude the AP from the press pool and restrict its access to presidential events.
The AP was removed from the White House press pool after its refusal to adopt the administration’s directive to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” This exclusion, ordered by President Trump and carried out by White House officials, has sparked widespread concern over governmental interference in press freedoms.
The brief argues that denying a major news organization access to the White House based on the content of its reporting sets a dangerous precedent. Retaliation against the AP threatens press freedom and discourages journalists from holding government officials accountable. The coalition of supporters believe this is contrary to the principles on which the United States was founded.
Signers of the brief include Former Governor of Minnesota Arne Carlson, Former U.S. Representative from Virginia Barbara Comstock, Former U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania Jim Greenwood, Former U.S. Representative from South Carolina Bob Inglis, Former U.S. Representative from Wisconsin Tom Peti, Former U.S. Representative from Vermont Peter Smith, Former U.S. Representative from Michigan David Trott, Former U.S. Representative from New York James Walsh, Former Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman, Former governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld, Former U.S. Court of Appeals Judge J. Michael Luttig, and Former Trump White House Attorney Ty Cobb.
“As public officials, we took an oath to support and defend the Constitution,” the amici state in their brief. “There is no more important directive in the Constitution than preserving the freedom of speech and of the press.”
Signers of the brief strongly urge the court to uphold the principles of the First Amendment and grant the preliminary injunction sought by the AP. They stress that any attempt by government officials to control press access based on ideological agreement or partisan preference is a direct affront to constitutional freedoms.
“The foundational benefit from an unrestricted press pool is so well-settled, that no president should evict a news organization from it,” they state.
You can find the amicus brief HERE.
State Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state, and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.