Whereas colonial America endured oppressive media censorship at the hands of Great Britain, including the prohibition of unfavorable information and opinions in colonial newspapers; Whereas American free press ideals can be traced back to a collection of essays known as Cato’s Letters, which criticized British corruption and tyranny, and which armed the public with critical information that eventually formed the basis for America’s revolution and independence; Whereas in 1776, Virginia became the first state to formally protect the press by a Declaration of Rights declaring [t]he freedom of the Press is one of the greatest bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic Governments ; Whereas our founding fathers memorialized the efficacy of a free press by expressly protecting the press in our First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which Justice Potter Stewart once described as the only organized private business that is given explicit constitutional protection ; Whereas starting in 1902, the press moved into the first White House press room—a move that was more than just convenience and signaled that the press was no longer there just as guests of the President [but] [t]hey were filling a public function ; Whereas the White House Correspondents Association was founded to keep a daily watch on the administration ; Whereas courts have consistently interpreted the First Amendment in such a way so as to prohibit prior restraints, or government actions that attempt to enjoin publication except in exceptional cases where the press would cause inevitable, direct, and immediate danger to the United States ; Whereas courts have routinely rejected viewpoint discrimination and have consistently prioritized the need for a free and robust press when weighing competing constitutional interests