Judge Refuses To Back

Associated Press’ Bid

To Regain Access to

Trump

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, appointed by President Donald Trump, chose not to issue a temporary restraining order against the administration while acknowledging the pressing nature of the situation. The First Amendment issue stems from Trump’s recent executive order that rebranded the Gulf of Mexico as the

“Gulf of America,” which the Associated Press has refused to adopt.

In defense, administration attorneys contended that no media organization has a constitutional right to

“special access” to the president. Additionally, on the same day, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to revisit its earlier ruling that permitted buffer zones around abortion clinics, despite opposition from two of the court’s most conservative justices. The court issued two orders on Monday indicating that it would not entertain challenges to legislation in Carbondale, Illinois, and Englewood, New Jersey, which prohibits anti-abortion activists from engaging in “sidewalk counseling” with individuals approaching abortion clinics.

Since that time, anti-abortion organizations have sought to challenge this precedent. Recently, some conservative justices have characterized the decision as a violation of free speech, particularly in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling that revoked constitutional protections for abortion.

Thomas remarked, “Hill has been seriously undermined, if not completely eroded, and our refusal to provide clarity is an abdication of our judicial duty,” while Alito did not submit a written dissent. Paul Clement, a prominent conservative attorney who previously held the position of solicitor general, stated in the petition contesting Carbondale’s ordinance, “Hill was wrong the day it was decided, and the case for overruling it has only strengthened ever since.”