The Associated Press and Trump administration returned to court on Monday for a critical hearing in the ongoing First Amendment battle over the news-gathering service refusing to rename the "Gulf of Mexico" to "Gulf of America" and its ensuing loss of access to critical White House coverage areas.

Trump signed an executive order renaming the "Gulf of Mexico" to the "Gulf of America" on his first day in office for a second term. But the Associated Press decided to continue to refer to the body of water by its original name, while acknowledging the new moniker chosen by Trump. The decision vexed Trump, who has blocked its reporters from the Oval Office and Air Force One as a result. 

The AP is now fighting to have its access restored, and at stake is whether the president is allowed to dictate which reporters and news organizations are allowed to cover official events in places like the Oval Office based on viewpoint. 

INSIDE AP’S FIRST AMENDMENT BATTLE WITH TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE AS ‘GULF OF AMERICA’ DISPUTE HEADS BACK TO COURT

"If the president wants to invite particular people into the White House, because of their political views, I think the president is allowed to do that," Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth argued on behalf of the administration. 

"The president routinely invites Republicans, and not Democrats, into the Oval Office for ceremonies," Roth continued. "Nobody thinks he has to extend those invitations on a view-point neutral basis."

Roth said that for the "same reasons," the president should be allowed to "invite favored reporters, and not disfavored reporters," to watch a ceremony in the Oval Office. 

Roth argued that the Oval Office and Air Force One are "invitation only," as opposed to the White House briefing room, which is a dedicated workplace for journalists. 

"When it is a matter of invitation, we don’t apply viewpoint neutrality principles," Roth said. 

The AP’s attorney, Charles Tobin, said the First Amendment "does not stop at the Oval Office door" when pushing for access to be restored. 

"Just like the president is not above the law, the Oval Office is not a First Amendment-banned forum for the purposes of conducting the president’s business," Tobin said. 

Tobin repeatedly mentioned that the White House press pool has a longstanding system for covering the White House, but judges pushed back and noted that the system has changed and evolved over the years. 

TRUMP SIGNS PROCLAMATION DECLARING FEBRUARY 9 'GULF OF AMERICA DAY' AHEAD OF SUPER BOWL: 'ANOTHER BIG WIN'

Circuit Judges Robert Wilkins, Gregory Katsas and Neomi Rao heard the arguments. An order is expected in the coming weeks. 

"Today AP once again stood up for the public's right to speak freely without government retaliation," an AP spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "That’s what we’ve been doing throughout this case — defending this fundamental freedom for all Americans and all those who value freedom of speech. The First Amendment doesn’t stop at the Oval Office door."

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.

Associated Press senior vice president and executive editor Julie Pace told Fox News Digital ahead of the hearing that the decision to stick with the Gulf of Mexico is largely because the AP caters to a global audience, and consumers outside the United States don’t necessarily abide by Trump’s name change. She said coverage indicates the president has signed an executive order renaming that body of water. 

"We’re very clear about that, we have no intention of downplaying that. And I can fully understand why many people are choosing that name," Pace said. 

"But as a global news organization, we have to use language that has the widest possible application," she continued. "That’s Gulf of Mexico in this case." 

ASSOCIATED PRESS SAYS IT WAS BARRED FROM OVAL OFFICE OVER USE OF 'GULF OF MEXICO'

U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, a Trump appointee, said in April that the White House acted against the First Amendment by blocking the AP's access over its refusal to use the term "Gulf of America." The Trump administration appealed, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit paused McFadden’s order. 

Pace is hopeful the appeals court will reaffirm the ruling at the lower court that she called a "robust and powerful defense" of the First Amendment.

"This isn't even about the AP. This isn't about the press. This is about the First Amendment. And we hear regularly that conservatives and liberals and everybody in between really value this protection. And really, what's at stake here is whether the government can retaliate against you for the words you use," Pace told Fox News Digital. 

FEDERAL JUDGE RULES WHITE HOUSE'S ASSOCIATED PRESS BAN UNCONSTITUTIONAL FOR 'VIEWPOINT DISCRIMINATION'

The Trump administration has previously said the president has absolute discretion over media access to the White House. The White House has said no media outlets are guaranteed special access to cover the president in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in other sensitive locations.

"President Trump is the most transparent and accessible President in American history. The Trump White House’s changes to the press pool have all been additive, which is why we’ve expanded access to new media in an unprecedented way. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt has successfully ensured the White House press operation reflects the media habits of the American people in 2025, not 1925," White House spokesperson Davis Ingle previously told Fox News Digital. 

A violent mob is reportedly beat a New York City couple and setting a car on fire after several local residents tried to stop a rowdy street takeover in their neighborhood over the weekend. 

The attack began around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, after a group of drivers were seen speeding across residential lawns and doing donuts on the corner of South Drive and 141st Street in Malba, a neighborhood located in Queens, the New York Post reported. 

A private security guard first attempted to defuse the situation, but was subsequently assaulted by the mob and had his vehicle set on fire, according to City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, who represents the neighborhood.

Larry Rusch, who owns a security company, reportedly heard the drivers performing stunts in the street. When he rushed outside to see what was causing the commotion, he was met by about 40 cars in the street, The Post reported.

'NOBODY'S IN CONTROL' AS CHAOTIC STREET TAKEOVERS TERRORIZE CITIES ACROSS US: CRIME EXPERT

Rusch reportedly attempted to park a company car in the intersection to try to block the drivers from causing more damage. 

"As soon as I did that, everyone started leaving," Rusch told The Post. "Then two individuals go up to the car. Somehow they threw some kind of firework or something and lit the car up. Then melee started again."

Another local resident was also assaulted, according to the report.

ORGANIZED CRIME RINGS DRIVE STREET TAKEOVERS BY USING KIDS TO STEAL CARS FOR WILD STUNTS: EXPERT

"When I came out, I said, ‘Bro, you gotta get the f--- off my property,’" victim Blake Ferrer told The Post. "And that’s when it all started." 

The incident quickly devolved into chaos, with video showing the group allegedly attacking Ferrer and his wife, reportedly leaving the Queens man with a broken nose and ribs. Additional footage shows a vehicle on fire as another car circles it. 

Paladino took to social media to express her concern regarding the incident, adding that Ferrer was "lucky he wasn’t killed."

BLUE CITY STREET TAKEOVER SUSPECTS TORCHED POLICE CRUISER IN 'HELL-BENT' ATTACK ON COPS: UNION CHIEF

Paladino also blasted local law enforcement’s response to the melee, revealing that residents who called 911 to report the incident were told that a "quality of life team and 311 should handle the situation." 

"Unacceptable. In fact, these violent street takeovers should be met with maximum force by the police department," Paladino added.

However, the NYPD said in a statement to Fox News Digital that while the initial responding officer was rerouted to a more serious call, once authorities received word that the incident had been upgraded to a higher priority call, an officer was quickly dispatched to the scene. 

"The [precinct] covers a large geographical area, and this was a busy Saturday night," a spokesperson for the NYPD said in a statement. "At the time of the incident in question, other units from the [precinct] were handling multiple priority jobs, including an arrest for an individual who was driving while intoxicated, transporting someone to the hospital, an assault, and a vehicle collision with injuries."

A third resident also reportedly had objects thrown into his car when he attempted to stop the drivers from continuing the chaos, according to The Post. 

Additionally, Paladino blasted the lack of accountability within the city regarding similar instances of street takeovers, adding, "These incidents are happening citywide, and they're happening because there are no longer any real consequences to this kind of criminality."

The councilwoman then pointed to several armed residents "who exercised extreme restraint," adding that the "level of restraint is not guaranteed. If the city refuses to do what's necessary, the people might."