White House · FCC · Donald Trump · Ars Technica
Disney sues FCC and its chair, escalating fight against Trump's chief censor
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Disney today sued the Federal Communications Commission and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr in a lawsuit that aims to stop what it called a “campaign of censorship” waged by the Trump administration against ABC.
Key facts
- While ABC station licenses are scheduled for renewals between 2028 and 2031, Carr took the highly unusual step of ordering the stations to file renewal applications several years early
- It notes that after the 2024 presidential election debate hosted by ABC, Trump accused ABC moderators of bias and repeatedly called for ABC to lose broadcast licenses
- The lawsuit describes the November 2025 incident in which ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked Trump why he was waiting for Congress to release the Epstein files instead
- Disney today sued the Federal Communications Commission and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr in a lawsuit that aims to stop what it called a “campaign of censorship” waged by the Trump administration
Summary
Disney, ABC, and the eight broadcast stations they own filed a complaint in US District Court for the District of Columbia. The lawsuit accused the FCC of violating the First Amendment by retaliating against the company’s protected expression. The lawsuit asked the court to halt any further actions in the early license review that Carr ordered for all eight ABC stations. While ABC station licenses are scheduled for renewals between 2028 and 2031, Carr took the highly unusual step of ordering the stations to file renewal applications several years early.