A federal court in Washington, D.C., is hearing a high-stakes legal battle between the Walt Disney Co. and the Federal Communications Commission over First Amendment protections during the presidency of Donald Trump. New Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro authorized the lawsuit after President Trump repeatedly called for Disney’s ABC TV to fire late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel and denounced programs like The View. Brendan Carr, whom Trump elevated to chair the FCC, has echoed these complaints and moved to review Disney’s ownership of all eight of its local television stations years ahead of schedule, following months of social media posts from Trump urging that ABC be stripped of its station licenses. Mark Fowler, a Republican former FCC chair under Ronald Reagan, filed a statement supporting ABC’s lawsuit, likening Carr’s actions to unconstitutional censorship. While networks do not require federal licenses to operate, individual stations need them to utilize publicly owned airwaves, and they are typically renewed on a staggered basis without major fanfare. Carr has cited the requirement for stations to serve the public interest, initiated investigations into Disney’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, and criticized the network as biased, though he stated the license review is not linked to ABC’s content. Disney and ABC are seeking an order from U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan to prevent the FCC from accelerating the review process, warning that targeting all eight stations at once—six of which are in major media markets—would severely damage the network financially. Conservative groups filed briefs supporting the FCC, arguing that broadcasts on shows like The View display clear political bias. Conversely, libertarian and free-market groups like the Cato Institute have weighed in against the administration’s actions, pointing out that Carr has repeatedly condemned ABC over its content. Media advocates view the accelerated license review as part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to intimidate the press and coerce specific types of news coverage.
Source: npr.org
