ABC sues FCC, alleging First Amendment violations in broadcast license dispute

ABC has taken the unusual step of suing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on First Amendment grounds, accusing the agency of an "existential threat" to its operations. The lawsuit, filed by ABC, its parent company Disney, and eight local stations, asks a federal court to halt the FCC's demand for early license renewals. The FCC, under Chairman Brendan Carr, an ally of President Donald Trump, ordered the early review in April, citing the network's diversity practices. However, ABC alleges this move followed critical coverage and jokes by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, an outspoken Trump critic. The network claims the administration has repeatedly attacked its speech, escalating to demands that ABC lose its broadcast licenses due to its content. "Facing this existential threat," the lawsuit states, "Plaintiffs have no choice but to seek redress from the judicial branch for the Administration's blatant retaliation for their First Amendment speech."

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Again and again, 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.