Three news organizations that were barred from the White House earlier this month have asked a federal court to extend a temporary restraining order against the administration’s ban and to prevent further restrictions on their access. The outlets—CNN, MS NOW, and Politico—filed the request on Monday, seeking to maintain their ability to cover White House events and continue participating in the rotating television pool that shares footage of President Donald Trump’s appearances.

The news organizations were expelled from White House grounds on September 19 following a series of public criticisms by President Trump, who accused them of “constant 'reporting' FAKE NEWS!” and announced the bans via social media. The outlets subsequently sued in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging the bans as violations of their First Amendment rights and due process, arguing that the administration sought to punish them for negative coverage.

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly issued a two-week temporary restraining order last week, restoring their access to the White House grounds. However, that order is set to expire on October 8. The recent filing requests a preliminary injunction to maintain the status quo until the underlying legal issues are resolved. The motions emphasize that the administration has implemented the ban inconsistently since the ruling—for example, by excluding CNN from certain television pool duties, which include sharing live footage of the president’s events with other networks and outlets.

The suit points out that despite Judge Kelly’s order requiring that the credentials be reinstated, the White House has selectively barred CNN from fulfilling its assigned role in the TV pool. This includes a notable incident on September 26 when CNN was excluded from covering an event in Tennessee featuring the president’s attendance at a college football game. The networks providing pool feeds—ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC—had temporarily suspended the pool in an effort to pressure the administration to restore full access to CNN.

Following these disputes, the White House has sent letters to the three outlets citing concerns about their professionalism and national security reporting, though the news organizations assert that these reasons are vague and applied selectively to justify the ban. They argue that the administration’s “empty, malleable” standards effectively permit it to suppress unfavorable reporting under the guise of conduct standards.

A White House scheduling communication on Sunday indicated that CNN would be assigned a television pool slot for an upcoming event on Thursday, suggesting some willingness to allow limited participation. However, the outlets maintain that consistent and predictable access, along with their pool duties, are essential to their ability to report on the presidency and serve the public interest. The court’s forthcoming decision will determine whether the temporary measures preventing enforcement of the bans will be extended further.