A group of Deaf Americans who previously forced the White House to provide American Sign Language interpreters during press briefings is asking a federal judge to again intervene after President Donald Trump halted their use in January.
In a lawsuit filed May 28, the National Association of the Deaf argued that the Trump White House's removal of ASL interpreters at press conferences and briefings violates federal law. The same group previously forced the White House to provide interpreters for COVID-19 briefings during Trump's first presidency, and former President Joe Biden expanded their use when he took office.
The lawsuit says Trump stopped using sign language interpreters upon taking office a second time, violating the 2020 ruling by Judge James Boasberg, who at the time said providing closed captioning or written transcripts is insufficient. Boasberg is the chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and has been repeatedly criticized by Trump over unrelated immigration rulings.