A member of the White House press corps, Simon Ateba, has filed a lawsuit against White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and the Secret Service, alleging that they wrongfully revoked his press badge.
Ateba argues that the White House policy for revoking press access violates the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution.
The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, claims that the defendants violated Ateba's First Amendment rights by intentionally changing the criteria for hard pass credentials to prevent him from obtaining access.
According to the lawsuit, the White House adopted credentialing criteria specifically designed to exclude Ateba, amounting to content-based regulation and viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment.
Ateba's press pass expired on July 31, and he has been unable to renew it. Currently, there are 975 reporters with White House hard passes, which allow journalists to freely enter and exit the White House briefing room and press area.
Reporters without hard passes must contact the White House to obtain a day pass for a specific date. Ateba, who works for Today News Africa, has been involved in several confrontations in the briefing room. In a March 20 briefing, when the White House was hosting the celebrity cast of "Ted Lasso," Ateba lashed out at Jean-Pierre, expressing frustration over not being able to ask a question in seven months. He has repeatedly accused the White House of discrimination against him and other reporters.
Ateba's lawsuit seeks to challenge the White House's new rules, which, for the first time, allow for the revocation of press badges. The White House has not yet responded to a request for comment on the matter. The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for press access and the protection of journalists' First Amendment rights.
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