ABC asks federal judge to halt the FCC's early review of its eight station licenses; no ruling before mid-October

ABC asked U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan on Tuesday, Oct. 6, for a preliminary injunction (a court order that freezes an action while the lawsuit is decided) to stop the Federal Communications Commission's early review of its eight station licenses. She heard about two hours of argument and did not rule. ABC's case. The network calls the review unconstitutional retaliation that is already chilling its midterm coverage. Its lawyer, Beth Wilkinson, said ABC has its "head on the guillotine," left to wonder "if anything we say is going to make it come down." The government's case. Justice Department lawyers said the review stems from Disney's alleged failure to cooperate with an investigation of its diversity hiring (DEI) practices, and that this court has no power to hear the case. The judge. AliKhan pressed DOJ: "What is it that made this so different that you needed to call for an early license renewal?" What next. The government's supplemental brief is due Oct. 9 and ABC's is due Oct. 14; a decision is not expected before mid-October.

• That it committed no serious violations of FCC rules