Court Sets October Hearing in Disney's FCC Lawsuit Over ABC Licenses

A federal judge has declined Disney's request for an expedited hearing in its lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) concerning the licenses for its eight ABC-owned television stations.

US District Judge Loren AliKhan in Washington denied the company's motion for a hearing by Tuesday on its request for a temporary restraining order. The government had argued that such an urgent hearing was unnecessary.

The judge has directed both parties to submit legal filings by September 24 and has scheduled a hearing on the matter for early October. The FCC has also agreed to give at least 48 hours' notice before issuing any order that would refer Disney's ABC licenses for a formal hearing.

In her order, Judge AliKhan noted that if the FCC were to issue such a hearing order, both sides would be required to appear in court the following day to argue whether a temporary restraining order is warranted.

An FCC spokesperson welcomed the decision, stating the agency is pleased the court rejected what it called Disney's attempt to rush into court and sided with the FCC on the schedule. Disney did not immediately comment.

The legal battle stems from President Donald Trump's repeated calls for ABC to lose its licenses over programming he dislikes. The dispute follows a two-year conflict between Trump and Disney, with Trump last month again urging that the stations lose their licenses after the network declined to air a prime-time speech on elections.

In its lawsuit, Disney alleges the FCC is seeking to coerce and retaliate against a network that refuses to bow to the administration's demands, calling the agency's actions an extraordinary assault on free speech.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr has stated the lawsuit lacks merit and said he has not yet decided whether to refer the Disney licenses for a hearing.