White House told to bring back sign-language interpreters even though Trump dislikes ‘sharing a platform,’ judge rules
White House ordered to ‘immediately’ provide ASL interpreters at briefings
- A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for White House briefings, following a lawsuit by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD).
- U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali granted a preliminary injunction, mandating the immediate provision of a “simultaneous and publicly accessible feed” with ASL interpreters for briefings by Trump and his Press Secretary.
- The NAD sued in May, arguing that the administration's failure to provide interpreters violated the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination by executive agencies.
- Trump's attorneys argued that requiring him to share his platform with interpreters was a “major incursion” on his prerogatives, an argument the judge found “puzzling” and without clear justification.
- The administration is required to submit a status report by November 7 to demonstrate compliance with the order, which aims to ensure deaf Americans have equal access to critical information.