ABC files suit against Federal Communications Commission

 Axios -  ABC on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission, arguing the agency has violated its First Amendment rights by retaliating against the broadcaster for its editorial decisions… It's a major escalation of ABC's fight with the FCC, which it argues is motivated by broader efforts to silence a free and independent press.

The lawsuit, filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues that in ordering an accelerated review of ABC's local station broadcast licenses, the administration "has waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts."

It points to statements made by FCC chairman Brendan Carr that suggest the administration has not been shy about openly coercing ABC into changing its programming.

It cites an incident last month in which Carr said ABC's decision not to broadcast the president's Oval Office address was likely to be raised during its early review of ABC's broadcast licenses.

The network is seeking an injunction, asking the court for a temporary restraining order to stop the FCC from moving forward with its early license-renewal proceedings.