A U.S. federal judge has rejected Disney’s request for an expedited hearing in its lawsuit seeking to block an early Federal Communications Commission review of licenses for eight ABC stations owned by the company.
U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan denied Disney’s request for an urgent hearing on a temporary restraining order after the FCC agreed to provide at least 48 hours’ notice before taking any action to refer the licenses for a formal hearing.
The dispute has become a significant test of broadcasters’ free speech protections amid repeated calls from President Donald Trump for ABC to lose licenses over programming he has criticized.
The court ordered both sides to submit additional legal filings by September 24, with a hearing expected in early October. If the FCC moves forward with a license hearing before then, the parties would return to court the following day to argue whether an emergency injunction is necessary.
Disney argues that the FCC’s actions are designed to pressure and retaliate against a network that refuses to comply with political demands. The FCC has rejected those claims and said no final decision has been made on whether the ABC licenses should be referred for review.
