DistantNews
Support us
ABC sues Trump administration over alleged threats to broadcast licenses
🇵🇦 Panama /Culture & Society

ABC sues Trump administration over alleged threats to broadcast licenses

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified In the courts
  • ABC Television Network is suing the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over alleged threats to its broadcast licenses.
  • The lawsuit claims the Trump administration used the FCC in a retaliatory campaign against ABC due to its critical coverage.
  • ABC argues this action violates its First Amendment rights to free speech and seeks a court order to prevent the FCC from acting against its licenses.

ABC Television Network, owned by Disney, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), alleging that the Trump administration has engaged in a retaliatory campaign to threaten its broadcast licenses.

ABC Television Network, owned by Disney, sued the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday for threatening its broadcast licenses.

— Article TextIntroducing the lawsuit filed by ABC against the FCC.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, claims the FCC, under the administration's direction, has targeted ABC because it "disapproves of what ABC transmits." The network asserts that these attacks have escalated into explicit demands for the revocation of its licenses, directly stemming from its critical reporting.

This legal action follows an earlier FCC request for Disney-owned television stations to renew their broadcast licenses ahead of schedule. President Donald Trump has publicly criticized ABC on numerous occasions, including targeting late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, and has suggested revoking broadcast licenses for stations he deems overly negative towards him.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Washington, accuses the administration of Donald Trump of conducting, through the FCC, a 'retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC transmits.'

— Article TextDetailing the core accusation in ABC's lawsuit.

ABC argues that the FCC's "sustained pressure" and the "extraordinarily soon" review schedule for its licenses are designed to "coerce and retaliate" against a network that refuses to bow to government demands. The network contends that this "existential threat" leaves it no choice but to seek judicial protection for its First Amendment rights to freedom of speech.

'Over time, those attacks have intensified into explicit demands that ABC have its broadcast licenses revoked due to its speech,' it states.

— ABC NetworkExplaining the alleged escalation of actions by the administration.

The lawsuit requests a restraining order to prevent the FCC from taking any action against ABC's broadcast licenses, which were not due for renewal until 2028. The case is part of a broader pattern of legal disputes between Trump and various media outlets, including previous defamation lawsuits filed by Trump against ABC and CBS, which concluded with settlements.

'Faced with this existential threat, the plaintiffs have no choice but to seek redress in the Judiciary against the government's flagrant retaliation for the exercise of its right to freedom of expression enshrined in the First Amendment.'

— ABC NetworkJustifying the decision to pursue legal action.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog