White House sued by Disney in escalating free speech row as media giant accuses White House of ‘retaliatory campaign’

In April, media the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered Disney to begin the renewal process for its television broadcast licences ahead of schedule.

And White House officials have carried out a long-running review into diversity, equity and inclusion policies at Disney.

In the lawsuit, Disney urged a judge to block the early licence renewal, which it described as an attack on the freedom of the press.

Disney separately filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction and accused the FCC of violating the First Amendment.

“This case boils down to a simple question: Can the administration use its control over the federal regulatory apparatus to punish a media organization for editorial decisions and news coverage it dislikes?” the lawsuit said.

“Because the First Amendment provides a clear answer – of course not – this court’s intervention is necessary to stop the Federal Communications Commission’s extraordinary assault on free speech.”

The corporation alleged the Trump administration was intimidating all US broadcasters in the country.

“ABC is the visible target and suffers the most immediate harm, but the message is addressed to every broadcaster in the country, and the ultimate cost is borne by the press as a whole,” the lawsuit reads.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr in an interview late on Tuesday told The New York Times the lawsuit was “meritless” and denied it was an attack on the First Amendment.

“Holding a broadcaster accountable to their public interest obligations and statutory obligations is not a violation of their First Amendment rights,” he said.

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The row began last year after late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel accused Mr Trump and his supporters of using the death of Charlie Kirk to “score political points”.

Mr Kimmel was briefly taken off the air, but returned to screens just a few days later.

US broadcasting licences are usually renewed every eight years, with most of Disney’s set to expire in 2030 or 2031.

An investigation has also been opened into ABC’s flagship daytime talk show The View over rules that require broadcasters to give equal time to political candidates from both parties.

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Disney has urged the FCC to recognise a 2002 ruling which classified the Barbara Walters-created show as a news programme, which are exempt from the equal-time rules.

In the lawsuit, Disney admitted that, since February’s appearance of Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, “cumulative pressure” from the FCC had “impacted the programme’s decisions about which guests to invite”.

An FCC spokesman said: “All broadcasters have a legal obligation to operate in the public interest – even Disney.”

He added: “The FCC will continue to follow the facts and law wherever they lead.”