US court orders White House to restore access to AP journalists

A US judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore the Associated Press's access to presidential events after the White House blocked the agency in a dispute over the term "Gulf of America".

District Judge Trevor McFadden on Tuesday said the administration's restrictions on AP journalists is "contrary to the First Amendment" of the US Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech.

The news agency refused to change its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" in its coverage, after President Donald Trump renamed it with an executive order.

The ban has meant that the news agency has been unable to access press events at the White House as well as Air Force One.

Judge McFadden said his ruling will not go into effect until Sunday to give government lawyers time to appeal.

The Associated Press sued three senior aides to the Trump administration in February, calling the restrictions were unlawful and infringement of freedom of speech and the press.

Lawyers for the Trump administration have argued that the Associated Press does not have a right to "special access" to the president.