White House Briefings Potentially Confronted with Demand for Sign Language Interpreters, amidst Judge's Consideration
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has taken the Trump administration to court, alleging violations of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 by not providing real-time access to critical information for deaf Americans through American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters at White House briefings.
The lawsuit, filed on May 28, 2025, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, asserts that the administration's failure to provide qualified ASL interpreters during public briefings and related events infringes upon Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the First Amendment, and the Fifth Amendment.
The NAD argues that the lack of live ASL interpretations at White House briefings deprives deaf Americans of their ability to participate in the democratic process. The organisation maintains that ASL and English are distinct languages, and that closed captioning is inaccessible to many thousands of deaf persons fluent only in ASL.
In contrast, the Trump administration argues that the current accessibility services offered by the administration, including live closed captions and written transcripts, are sufficient for providing the deaf community with meaningful access to White House information. However, US District Judge Amir Ali, one of former President Joe Biden's final appointees, has expressed doubts about the effectiveness of written transcriptions in providing sufficient information to the deaf community.
The Biden administration, which took office in 2021, expanded accessibility programs and began staffing all press briefings with ASL interpreters. In contrast, the Trump White House halted the use of all ASL interpreters at White House briefings on the first day of his second administration, prompting the lawsuit.
The case came to a hearing on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, with ASL interpreters providing live translations throughout the nearly 90-minute hearing. The courtroom was filled with members of the deaf community supporting the plaintiffs.
As of early July 2025, the federal court has not yet ruled on the case. The NAD appeared in court seeking an order to compel the Trump administration to reinstate ASL interpreters at the briefings, but there is no public information indicating that a decision or ruling has been issued yet. The case remains ongoing.
It is worth noting that Boasberg, the judge who ordered the White House to provide in-frame videos of ASL interpreters during televised press events in a 2020 suit, is presiding over the current case. The first Trump White House began providing ASL interpreters for all pandemic-related press events after Boasberg's order in 2020.
This ongoing court case highlights the importance of accessibility and equal participation for all citizens in the democratic process, particularly for those who rely on ASL as their primary means of communication. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for the deaf community's access to information from the White House.
- Despite the Trump administration's argument that current accessibility services, such as live closed captions and written transcripts, are sufficient for the deaf community, US District Judge Amir Ali has voiced doubts about their effectiveness.
- The Biden administration, in comparison, expanded accessibility programs and began staffing all press briefings with ASL interpreters, a departure from the Trump White House's halting of ASL interpreters at White House briefings.
- The ongoing court case between the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and the Trump administration could have significant implications for the deaf community's access to information from the White House, reinforcing the importance of accessibility and equal participation for all citizens in the democratic process.
