ABC has sued the Federal Communications Commission, accusing the agency of threatening its broadcast licenses and targeting the content of *The View* in what the Disney-owned network calls a free speech violation by the Trump administration. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in a Washington D.C. district court, seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt early license renewal proceedings for ABC's eight broadcast stations, arguing the case has implications for press freedom across the media industry.

The FCC ordered early renewal of ABC's licences earlier this year, which the network complied with "under protest," a move it says followed the administration's demand that ABC take action against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke about Trump. ABC's suit notes this was the first such early renewal demand in over 50 years, and highlights other pressure, including Trump's call to revoke ABC and NBC's licences after they did not air his 16 July address live, which prompted ABC to livestream the speech unusually. The FCC has also opened a separate inquiry questioning whether *The View* qualifies as a "bona fide" news programme exempt from equal opportunity rules.