Legal Info

Group Legal documents

Teeing-up Court Fight Over Press Freedom

by

Article in The Guardian by AP, 7/15/26

Headline: “New York Times files motion to quash justice department’s subpoenas”

Subhead:  “Journalists who had reported on security concerns around the new Air Force One, a gift from Qatar, received summons”

“. . .’As we set out in our motion, these subpoenas are brought in bad faith to punish the Times for its coverage. They violate the constitutional rights of the Times and its journalists. We are going to court to defend our journalists’ rights to report freely on the administration and to provide the public with stories that matter,’ David McCraw, the newspaper’s senior vice-president and deputy general counsel, said in a statement. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/15/new-york-times-subpoenas-air-force-one

Ellison’s Merger Off the Rails?

by


Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 7/13/26

Headline:  “Ellison’s California Nightmare” as it and 11 other states sue to block it on antitrust grounds. . .”

“David Ellison may have been California dreamin’ about getting his Warners deal cleared by the Golden State – but he’s now facing a nightmare. . .”

Read the article at:

https://www.status.news/p/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-merger-states-lawsuit-rob-bonta

– – – – –

Article in Free Press by Staff, 7/13/26

Headline:   “State Attorneys General Sue to Stop Paramount Skydance’s Corrupt Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery”

Subhead:  “Free Press hails state-led effort to defend consumer choice and journalism against a billionaire push to censor and control  media “

“On Monday, 12 state attorneys general launched an antitrust suit to block the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. . .”

“The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/index%2ephp/news/state-attorneys-general-sue-stop-paramount-skydances-corrupt-takeover-warner-bros-discovery

After Jail, go on Media Tour?

by

Article in Media Matters by John Knefel, 7/10/26

Headline:  “Tina Peters’ right-wing media tour: Endless conspiracy theories about voter fraud and boasts about advising Trump on how to fix it”

Subhead:  “Peters’ complaints, including about ‘foreign agents,’ appear to be linked to a broader plot to subvert the midterms by manufacturing a pretext for Trump to declare a national emergency and seize control of voting systems”

“Following her release from prison last month, former Colorado election official Tina Peters has hit the ground running with more than 17 appearances in right-wing media. During her media tour, Peters has spread numerous conspiracy theories about supposed voter fraud and foreign interference in elections. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/voter-fraud-and-suppression/tina-peters-right-wing-media-tour-endless-conspiracy-theories-about

News Orgs vs. AI

by

Article in UPI by Stephen Feller, 7/9/26

Headline:  “News organizations call for legal sanctions against OpenAI”

“More than a dozen news organizations asked a court to sanction OpenAI for withholding evidence in lawsuits filed against the company for copyright infringement.

“The New York Times, New York Daily News, The Intercept and 14 other news organizations asked a federal court on Thursday for sanctions against the artificial intelligence company for lying about its ability to provide data showing how it has used copyrighted material to train its models.

The companies had sued OpenAI for violating copyright law by using their content to create a secondary product — its AI models — without paying for it, The New York Times and Variety reported. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/07/09/news-organizations-file-sanctions-openai-copyright-infringement/5221783621572/

FCC Decides What is “News”?

by

Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 7/8/26

Headline:   “Opinion | ABC reminds the FCC it already ruled ‘The View’ is news”

Subhead:  “ABC argues that if the FCC can decide what qualifies as news, it can also dictate which political candidates programs may interview”

“ABC is stepping up its fight against the Federal Communications Commission.

“In what is shaping up to be an intense battle that could have long-lasting ramifications, Disney’s ABC and the FCC continue to trade blows. It all goes back to ABC’s ‘The View’ and whether it violated what is known as the ‘equal-time rule.’ That’s the rule that says if a TV or radio program talks to someone running for political office, it must offer their opponent the same amount of time. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/abc-the-view-fcc-fight/

Media Monopoly Struggle Continues

by


Article in Reuters by Dawn Chmielewski and Jody Godoy 7/8/26

Headline:  “US states could sue next week to block Paramount-Warner Bros deal, sources say”

“U.S. states concerned that Paramount’s  $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery will hurt competition could sue to block the deal as soon as next week, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta ​has taken the lead in investigating whether the deal violates U.S. laws against mergers that would unlawfully harm ​competition. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-states-could-sue-next-week-block-paramount-warner-bros-deal-sources-say-2026-07-08/

Courting Defamation?

by

Article in Washington Post by Scott Nover, 7/7/26

Headline:  “Judge rules for The Washington Post in $3.8B defamation suit brought by Trump Media”

Subhead:  “The social media company failed to identify convincing evidence that The Post acted with actual malice, a federal judge in Tampa ruled.”

“. . .U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber, who is based in Tampa, wrote in a summary docket entry — known as a minute order — that Trump Media “failed to present evidence that would allow a jury to find by clear and convincing evidence” that The Post “published the allegedly defamatory statements with actual malice.” Barber granted The Post’s motion for summary judgment and denied one from Trump Media. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/07/07/judge-rules-washington-post-38b-defamation-suit-brought-by-trump-media/

Rt. Wing Media has Pregnant Pause

by

Article in Media Matters by Reed McMaster & Torri Lonergan 7/2/26

Headline:  “Right-wing media target pregnant and female travelers following SCOTUS birthright citizenship ruling”

Subhead:  “Pundits suggested refusing pregnant travelers visas, deporting “birthing-aged” women, and even sterilizing travelers entering the United States”

“After the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, right-wing media proposed draconian policies to prevent travelers potentially giving birth in the United States. The policies demanded by right-wing media — which almost exclusively target female migrants — were often proposed under the guise of combating birth tourism, which the U.S. already has enforcement tools in place to prevent. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/supreme-court/right-wing-media-target-pregnant-and-female-travelers-following-scotus-birthright

Court Protects Journalists

by


Article in USA Today by Maureen Groppe, 6/29/26

Headline:  “Supreme Court lets landmark journalist protection stand”

“. . .The Supreme Court on June 29 declined to revisit a landmark decision about press freedom that limited when a public figure can sue for libel or defamation. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/06/29/supreme-court-press-freedom-dershowitz-cnn/90298532007/

– – – – –

Article in CBS News by Melissa Quin, 6/29/26

Headline:  “Supreme Court turns away Alan Dershowitz’s defamation case against CNN”

“The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz’s case alleging CNN defamed him with its coverage of remarks made during President Trump’s 2020 impeachment trial.

“The dispute presented the high court with the chance to revisit its landmark 1964 decision in New York Times v. Sullivan, which set a high bar for public figures to win defamation lawsuits against media companies. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-alan-dershowitz-cnn-defamation-case/