⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The D.C. Circuit hears National Association of the Deaf versus Trump. The White House had provided American Sign Language interpretation of its press briefings, but stopped in January 2025. The association and a deaf viewer, Ford, sued to restore it. They said English captions and transcripts left people who rely on sign language unable to follow the briefings. American Sign Language is a distinct language, not simply English expressed through gestures. A district judge ordered White House officials to provide a publicly accessible live feed with qualified sign-language interpretation for publicly announced briefings by the President or Press Secretary. That preliminary injunction is temporary relief while the lawsuit proceeds; it does not cover every White House event or video. The government appealed. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits excluding otherwise qualified people from federal executive-agency programs solely because of disability. The first dispute is whether the plaintiffs have a private cause of action: a legal right to bring this claim in court. The court will also consider whether it can order officials to comply through its equitable powers, even without that statutory right to sue. Government lawyer Daniel Winik will contend that Congress did not authorize this claim and that captions and transcripts provide adequate access.

National Association of the Deaf v. Trump (No. 25-5402) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, argued October 6, 2026.