A coalition of eight state attorneys general on Friday filed an emergency motion in federal court seeking to temporarily halt the newly approved merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna Inc., warning the deal threatens competition, local journalism, and consumer costs nationwide.
The motion for a temporary restraining order, or TRO, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, comes just one day after federal regulators cleared the multibillion-dollar transaction and Nexstar moved quickly to close the deal.
The states involved include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Virginia.
In their filing, the attorneys general argue that immediate court intervention is necessary to prevent irreversible harm while litigation proceeds.
"A temporary restraining order is necessary to avoid irreparable harm to the public interest," the states wrote, asking the court to block Nexstar from integrating Tegna's assets and to require the companies to remain separate pending further review.
The petition emphasizes that the merger — combining the nation's largest and third-largest television station owners — will significantly reduce competition in local broadcast markets and give Nexstar unprecedented leverage over cable and satellite providers.
"If the requested relief is not granted, the harm to the public and to competition ... would commence immediately," the filing states, warning of higher prices and diminished programming quality.
According to the complaint, Nexstar and Tegna previously competed head-to-head in dozens of local markets.
The merger, the states argue, eliminates that rivalry and allows the combined company to demand higher retransmission fees from multichannel video providers — costs that are typically passed on to consumers.
The filing notes that "the Transaction will severely lessen competition ... leading to higher prices and lower quality for television consumers."
The states also highlight the unusual speed at which the deal was finalized following federal approval, suggesting it may have been intended to limit judicial oversight.
After regulators approved the merger on Thursday, Nexstar closed the transaction within hours, despite ongoing legal challenges and requests from states to delay.
The filing describes this as raising "the troubling specter that Defendants may be barreling forward ... to frustrate effective judicial review."
Colorado Attorney General Weiser sharply criticized the federal government's handling of the merger and framed the states' action as a necessary check.
"The federal government's approval of the Nexstar/Tegna merger indicates the fix was in," Weiser said in a statement. "The Justice Department and the FCC have failed to give this merger the thorough review it requires—and disregarded established standards in the process."
He added that state attorneys general are stepping in to enforce antitrust laws and protect consumers.
"That's why we are asking the court to temporarily block the merger to allow the judge the time and ability to fairly evaluate this proposed merger on the merits," Weiser said.
"In short, this merger ... is bad for local news and the sharing of diverse viewpoints, bad for consumers, bad for jobs, and bad for democracy."
The legal filing underscores concerns about consolidation in local media markets, particularly the potential loss of independent news voices.
It argues that integration of the companies would lead to "degradation in the quality and variety of local news and other local programming," as well as job cuts and newsroom consolidation.
In markets like Denver, where Tegna owns NBC affiliate 9News and Nexstar owns Fox 31, the combined company would control a dominant share of local viewership.
State officials say that level of concentration is "presumptively illegal under established antitrust standards."
The attorneys general also stress that once integration occurs, the damage may be difficult to undo — even if the states ultimately prevail in court.
"Integration ... would trigger immediate and irreparable harm," the filing states, including the "loss of independent rivalry" and increased costs for consumers.
The court has not yet ruled on the emergency motion.
If granted, the TRO would temporarily freeze the merger's integration phase and preserve the status quo while the broader antitrust case proceeds.
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