Disney's ABC Files Lawsuit Against FCC Over First Amendment Concerns
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Disney's ABC has filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission, calling the government agency's recent investigation into the company a "retaliatory campaign" due to the nature of its programming, which has been critical of President Donald Trump.
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New York Post BusinessDisney’s ABC on Tuesday sued the Federal Communications Commission, accusing the Trump administration of a “retaliatory campaign” to silence the network’s lefty shows as the battle over its broadcast licenses heats up.
MarketWatchIn a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court, Disney DIS said the administration “has attacked ABC’s speech — the stories its journalists report and the viewpoints its network programs air. Over time, those attacks have escalated into express demands that ABC be stripped of its broadcast licenses because of its speech.”
Financial TimesDisney sues Trump administration over ‘retaliatory’ ABC licence review US media giant accuses Federal Communications Commission of cracking down because it ‘disapproves’ of its broadcasts
Washington Times BusinessDisney filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission alleging a violation of its First Amendment rights.
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The early review was launched in the midst of a heated feud between ABC’s late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel and President Trump, after Kimmel joked that First Lady Melania Trump had a “glow like an expectant widow” after two assassination attempts on the president – and just days before a third.
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CNBCHowever, that early review process came shortly after renewed political backlash against ABC following comments made by TV host Jimmy Kimmel on his late night show, which airs on the broadcast network.
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Carr has repeatedly defended the FCC’s license renewal review, saying it isn’t about free speech but rather the requirement that broadcast networks “operate in the public interest.”
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Washington Times BusinessThe suit comes after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Friday recently defended the agency’s actions against ABC, saying broadcasters have a duty to “operate in the public interest” and the FCC is merely trying to restore that standard.
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ABC had accused the agency of a brazen attempt to chill its constitutionally protected free speech — and by extension, that of every media outlet in the country. The network’s July comments came in its latest filing to the agency, expressing its formal opposition to the FCC’s early review, launched in April, of eight ABC local broadcast licenses well before they expire.
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New York Post BusinessIn the lawsuit, ABC noted that the early review of its licenses has “drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum,” saying that conservative Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz recently warned about the dangers of a politicized FCC.
2 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 CNBC The broadcast network filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in a district court in Washington, D.C.
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02 New York Post Business The FCC did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment. In March 2025, FCC Chair Brendan Carr launched a probe into whether Disney was still engaging in DEI policies that the Trump administration has tried to crack down on through a series of executive orders.
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Sources (5)
- marketwatch
- cnbc
- ft
- washtimes-biz
- nypost-biz