"The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government," the AP said in its lawsuit.

The wire service’s journalists have been banned from White House events since Feb. 11 over the organization’s use of the name Gulf of Mexico.

The White House said on Tuesday it would decide which media organizations participate in the press pool that covers the president, wresting control away from the group of journalists that has done so for decades.