Trump's FCC ordered an early review of ABC's eight station licenses. Will Judge Loren AliKhan block it by Oct 16?

Judge Loren AliKhan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia had not ruled on ABC's bid to block the FCC's early review of its eight station licenses by October 16, so no injunction took effect by the deadline. At an October 6 hearing, AliKhan pressed a Justice Department attorney to justify the FCC's unusual decision to review ABC's licenses years ahead of their normal renewal schedule. FCC Chair Brendan Carr had ordered the review in April, shortly after a Jimmy Kimmel on-air joke about President Trump drew Trump's public calls for Kimmel's firing. The government argued the dispute belongs in a different venue and that ABC had not shown irreparable harm, while ABC and parent company Disney argued the review amounted to retaliation for protected speech. Rather than ruling from the bench, AliKhan ordered additional written submissions, due October 9 from the government and October 14 from ABC, pushing any decision past the window this question tracked. Sixty-three percent of the Predict Six community expected the judge to block the review by October 16, but the case remained pending instead. A ruling could still follow once AliKhan has reviewed the supplemental briefing, determining whether the license review proceeds while litigation continues or is paused pending a fuller hearing on the merits.