The White House policy of restricting access to journalists deprives the public of independent reporting and violates the First Amendment, a group of journalists and professors claimed in a federal lawsuit on Oct. 26.
The lawsuit, filed by Columbia University and Yale Law School organizations on behalf of six people, asks the court to find President Donald Trump’s policy unconstitutional and seeks a ban on future retaliatory restrictions for all White House reporters and news outlets.
The complaint alleges that the plaintiffs rely on White House reporting in their teaching, scholarship, journalism, and advocacy.
On Sept. 18, Trump banned three news outlets—CNN, MS NOW, and Politico—for what he said was constant reporting of “fake news” and unfavorable coverage. The president pointed to coverage of his deals with drugmakers that did not mention deals that had lowered prices. …