Lawsuit over denied WA Capitol press credentials for conservative media personalities moves to federal court
Mar 4, 2026, 9:50 AM
Washington legislators swear in and begin the 2025 legislative session in Olympia. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Democrats)
(Photo courtesy of Washington State Democrats)
Three prominent conservative media personalities were denied press credentials, which would have allowed them to attend in-person press conferences and access certain non-public areas of the Capitol, during Washington’s current legislative session.
In response, the conservative personalities — Brandi Kruse, Ari Hoffman, and Jonathan Choe — sued to overturn that decision. Now the case has been moved to federal court. As a result, a federal judge will now decide whether the press passes will be granted on an emergency basis in the final days of the session.
According to the lawsuit filed in February, Kruse and Hoffman were denied because of their political advocacy, while Choe was denied because he works for a conservative think tank. Specifically, the Citizen Action Defense Fund, the group representing Kruse, Hoffman, and Choe, is suing the state Legislature, the House clerk, and the group that evaluates press credential requests.
Additionally, the Citizen Action Defense Fund is seeking a temporary restraining order to obtain press passes for the final days of the state legislative session. They argued their First Amendment rights were violated and that the credentialing process is inconsistent.
“Freedom of the press is not subject to unpublished standards or private gatekeeping,” Jackson Maynard, the lead counsel on the case, stated. “The Constitution requires transparency, viewpoint neutrality, and due process. No matter what court the case is in, we will fight for the freedom of the press and work to ensure they are able to inform the public of what the government is doing.”
In addition to violating the conservative personalities’ First Amendment rights, the lawsuit claims that Article I, Section 5 of the Washington Constitution (which guarantees freedom of speech among other rights), as well as state and federal due process protections and Washington’s non-delegation doctrine, were also violated.
Two Republican Congressmen, Dan Newhouse and Michael Baumgartner, have supported the lawsuit, claiming it’s a “blatant violation of the First Amendment.”
This is a developing story, check back for updates
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