CNN, MS Now and Politico have requested an emergency court hearing after accusing the White House of repeatedly violating an order temporarily restoring their journalists’ access.
The request came after reporters from all three organizations said they were denied entry on Thursday morning, despite US District Judge Timothy Kelly ordering the administration to restore access for 14 days.
Some journalists also reported that their White House press credentials were confiscated, while other employees from the same outlets were admitted.
Kelly issued his order early Thursday after finding that the organizations were likely to succeed in arguing that the revocation of their press passes violated constitutional due process protections.
The outlets had sued after President Donald Trump ordered them barred on Saturday, initially citing what he called “FAKE NEWS”.
The White House later cited national security concerns, and Justice Department lawyers pointed to reporting based on non-public information.
CNN said senior White House reporter Betsy Klein was among those denied entry, although a producer was admitted.
Politico said one reporter was turned away and had his credentials confiscated.
MS Now said reporter Laura Barrón-López and a producer were barred and had their passes taken, while another producer was allowed inside.
It remained unclear whether the inconsistent access reflected an administrative delay as the White House worked to comply with the ruling.
Lawyers for the three outlets asked Kelly for a video or telephone conference as soon as possible, saying journalists had been turned away after the ruling.
They also said the White House had not responded to their inquiries.
Kelly gave the administration until 12:30 p.m. to respond to the filing. citeturn0search1
The judge said the outlets had not received adequate notice or an opportunity to respond before their credentials were revoked.
He ordered an expedited preliminary-injunction hearing during the temporary 14-day restoration period.
The dispute was expected to affect television coverage as Trump prepared to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House ahead of a state dinner.
The White House had not commented on the ruling, while Trump had previously said the administration would appeal an adverse decision.