ABC Files First Amendment Lawsuit Against FCC "Retaliatory Campaign"
· BCPosted in: ABC, TV | Tagged: ABC, disney, fcc
ABC Files First Amendment Lawsuit Against FCC "Retaliatory Campaign"
ABC filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the FCC, claiming it's engaged in a "retaliatory campaign" on behalf of the Trump Administration.
Published Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:07:09 -0500
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary
- ABC filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the FCC, alleging a retaliatory campaign tied to Trump Administration pressure.
- ABC says FCC Chair Brendan Carr is weaponizing license renewals and DEI probes to pressure Disney-owned stations.
- The FCC also questioned ABC’s editorial choices, from The View to coverage refusing to air Trump election claims.
- ABC seeks a court order blocking FCC action, warning the threat could chill speech or even force stations off air.
Trump's FCC Chairman, Brendan Carr, claims that ordering Disney to "file license renewals for all of their licensed TV stations within 30 days" (Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, Raleigh-Durham, and Fresno) now, instead of in 2028 and 2031, was part of the FCC's investigation into the company's DEI practices. Carr's FCC also targeted the popular daytime talk show The View, calling into question whether the talker should be classified as a legitimate news program and subject to the "Equal Time" rule. Carr's FCC insinuated that ABC's decision not to air Trump's running line of election conspiracy theories would affect its license renewal process for not serving the "public interest." But The Walt Disney Company-owned ABC sees these actions as nothing more than a "retaliatory campaign" on behalf of the Trump Administration to control free speech – and ABC plans on making its case in court.
On Tuesday, ABC filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the FCC in federal court in Washington, D.C., the network is asking for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt further action on the early license renewals, and an order that would prohibit the FCC from taking actions "to coerce or threaten" the network "with sanctions in an effort to alter their exercise of editorial discretion." On social media, Trump has repeatedly called on the FCC to revoke ABC's license because he disagreed with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, The View, and ABC News' coverage of him. "Acting through the Federal Communications Commission, the Administration has waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts," the lawsuit states.
"Any FCC adjudication would be a charade. The Commission cannot lawfully grant renewal this early in the license terms – the only outcomes on the table are adverse to Plaintiffs. At one extreme, the Commission may intentionally prolong the adjudicative process, miring ABC in years of costly litigation, with the threat of adverse action ever present and with every editorial judgment shadowed by the prospect of provoking the Administration into further retaliation," ABC's lawsuit continued. "At another extreme, the Commission may use the hearing to deny license renewal or immediately revoke the Stations' licenses, forcing Plaintiffs off the air entirely, as the President has repeatedly demanded. In either scenario, the Administration accomplishes its goal of eliminating a perceived media critic: either it gets Plaintiffs to fall in line, or it silences them if they refuse."
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