ABC Begs Federal Judge to Stop Trump Administration From Revoking Its License

ABC News has asked a federal judge to stop the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from revoking its broadcasting license.

The network is suing the agency for issuing threats to punish it over its news coverage.

From Courthouse News:

ABC News urged a federal judge on Tuesday to block the Federal Communication Commission’s threat to revoke ABC News of its broadcasting license, warning it would amount to a “corporate death penalty.”

U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan heard arguments for the news outlet’s motion for a temporary restraining order to halt an ongoing license renewal process and the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the case on jurisdictional grounds, but the Joe Biden appointee passed on making an immediate decision.

Beth Wilkinson, of Wilkinson Stekloff and representing ABC News, compared the FCC’s threats to revoke the news outlet’s broadcasting license to a hanging guillotine, with the agency using an early license renewal process as a pretext to punish ABC for its critical coverage of President Donald Trump.

“Over the last two years, there’s been escalating threats against ABC,” Wilkinson said. “Now, [Trump] has control over vast regulatory powers that he’s willing to use against those he does not like, he has put in place a chairman at the FCC who understands his marching orders and is not shy about saying so. These are blatant violations of the U.S. Constitution.”

The FCC’s license review of ABC News and eight of its regional affiliates — the station’s licenses were set to expire between December 2028 and August 2031 — is the first use of the process in nearly 60 years, Wilkinson said. She added that, even if the FCC decides to ultimately grant their renewals, the guillotine blade remains hanging over the news outlet’s head throughout the process, which clearly chills its First Amendment activity.

With the midterm elections just a month away, Wilkinson urged AliKhan to quickly halt the FCC’s actions to prevent further harm that has thus far forced ABC to watch its every move and change editorial decisions.

Justice Department attorney Dimitar Georgiev-Remmel argued, under the Communications Act, ABC News could only seek relief at the D.C. Circuit and warned any action taken by AliKhan would undermine both her and the appellate court’s jurisdiction.

He further argued the license reviews only began following an initial March 2025 antidiscrimination probe into Disney’s hiring practices — part of the Justice Department’s ongoing campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion practices — and the company’s refusal to provide requested documents. The company chose to file suit over 500 days after that probe began, Georgiev-Remmel said, and should cut against the need for immediate relief.