{"id":2649988,"date":"2026-08-26T14:01:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T18:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iowa-and-montana-plot-taking-paramount-merger-to-supreme-court\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T14:02:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T18:02:42","slug":"iowa-and-montana-plot-taking-paramount-merger-to-supreme-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iowa-and-montana-plot-taking-paramount-merger-to-supreme-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Iowa and Montana plot taking Paramount merger to Supreme Court"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fiowa-and-montana-plot-taking-paramount-merger-to-supreme-court%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2649988&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Iowa and Montana are urging the U.S. supreme Court to intervene in the dispute over Paramount Skydance\u2019s $111 billion merger with warner Bros. Discovery, which is currently blocked by California and 11 other states.These states argue that the merger should not be delayed, claiming that federal law gives the Supreme Court exclusive jurisdiction over interstate disputes and that the lawsuit impacts their residents and economies. They seek to allow the merger to proceed, asserting it would enhance competition and denying concerns about monopolistic effects. California and its allies contend that the merger would diminish competition, controlling about 27% of relevant markets, although the DOJ and international regulators have cleared the deal. The states\u2019 request aims to expedite the case,which has implications for jobs and economic stability. Tensions include California\u2019s Attorney general canceling a settlement meeting with Paramount after disputes over confidentiality, amidst broader debates over regulation and the potential economic impact of the merger.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iowa and Montana are planning to ask the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/supreme-court\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court<\/a> to intervene in the fight over<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/paramount\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"16440\"> Paramount Skydance\u2019s<\/a> $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, arguing California and 11 other states should not be allowed to block a transaction with nationwide consequences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Republican-led states asked the justices for permission to sue California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington. Those states sued Paramount in July and obtained a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/san-diego-judge-rules-to-block-enforcement-of-school-closures\/\" title=\"San Diego judge rules to block enforcement of school closures\">temporary restraining order preventing<\/a> the companies from completing the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mergers-and-acquisitions\/\">merger<\/a> until next year.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4701237\/iowa-montana-plot-paramount-merger-fight-supreme-court\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Iowa and Montana plot taking Paramount merger fight to Supreme Court<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4700165\/deloitte-us-government-dei-settlement\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Consulting firm Deloitte to pay US government $21.5 million in DEI settlement<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/travel\/4698192\/trump-administration-races-to-overhaul-america-air-traffic-control-system-by-2028\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump administration races to overhaul America\u2019s air traffic control system by 2028<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pair of states also asked the Supreme Court to expedite the case, require the plaintiff states to respond by Sept. 15, and consider the dispute at its Oct. 9 conference, according to filings obtained by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTwelve states have effectively vetoed a transaction that the other thirty-eight, and the United States, declined to challenge,\u201d the two states said in their proposed complaint.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iowa\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"468\">Iowa<\/a> Attorney General Brenna Bird and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/montana\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"551\">Montana<\/a> Attorney General Austin Knudsen, both Republicans, want the high court to declare that the merger does not violate federal <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antitrust\/\">antitrust<\/a> law and prohibit the 12 states from continuing their case in the Northern District of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"60\">California<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their jurisdictional argument is that federal law gives the Supreme Court exclusive authority over disputes between states. Iowa and Montana contend that the California-led case impacts their residents and economies, transforming the merger litigation into an interstate controversy that a federal district court cannot resolve.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California and its allies argue that combining Paramount and Warner Bros. would reduce competition in theatrical film distribution and television programming. Their lawsuit alleges the merged company would control about 27% of the respective markets for distributing widely released theatrical films and licensing basic cable channels.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Department of Justice<\/a> closed its investigation in June without challenging the transaction, saying it was likely to increase competition. Regulators in the European Union, the United Kingdom, China, Canada, Mexico, and numerous other jurisdictions have also cleared the deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bird defended the merger in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/to-save-american-movies-im-taking-california-to-the-supreme-court\">Tuesday op-ed<\/a> for the <em>Daily Wire<\/em>, arguing that combining Paramount+ and HBO Max would create a stronger competitor to Netflix, Disney, and Amazon.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCalifornia is once again trying to be the country\u2019s regulator,\u201d Bird wrote. \u201cAnd once again California is defying common sense to raise costs around the country. That makes this a dispute between states, and the Constitution says those can only be heard in the U.S. Supreme Court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The state official concluded that the merger \u201chelps our economy and our citizens\u201d while pointing to the DOJ\u2019s evaluation that the combined entity will increase competition in the theatrical market rather than reduce it. She denied there was any \u201cmonopoly problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Bird neglected to mention the mass layoffs and job cuts that may arise from the $111 billion <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hollywood\/\">Hollywood<\/a> merger if it closes. These concerns were laid out in a recent <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/lacounty.gov\/2026\/08\/19\/la-county-releases-final-120-day-report-on-potential-economic-and-workforce-impacts-of-paramount-skydance-acquisition-of-warner-bros-discovery\/\">economic report<\/a> from the Los Angeles County government.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iowa and Montana say the delay is imposing costs that cannot be recovered later. Beginning in October, Paramount is contractually obligated to pay Warner Bros. shareholders roughly $7 million for each day the transaction remains incomplete. A trial in California is scheduled for March 2027.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMergers do not freeze well,\u201d the states said in their motion to expedite. \u201cThe corporate officers, employees, suppliers, and contractors at Paramount and Warner Bros. are mired in uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat running for reelection this fall, is leading the antitrust lawsuit against the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> contacted Bonta\u2019s office for comment on Iowa and Montana asking the Supreme Court to intervene.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bonta called off Monday\u2019s planned settlement meeting with Paramount representatives, accusing the company of leaking details regarding a private meeting to the press. He said the alleged leak demonstrated a \u201clack of good faith\u201d on Paramount\u2019s part.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The entertainment company denied leaking any information about settlement discussions and maintained it remains committed to acting in good faith as Bonta\u2019s lawsuit proceeds in court. No follow-up settlement meeting has been scheduled yet, according to Bonta.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4697934\/california-ag-cancels-settlement-meeting-paramount-wbd-merger\/\"><strong>CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL CANCELS SETTLEMENT MEETING WITH PARAMOUNT IN WBD MERGER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Supreme Court action adds to the pressure facing officials in states challenging the merger. As the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4695074\/arizona-gop-hearing-paramount-merger\/\">first reported last week<\/a>, Arizona state Senate President Warren Petersen, a Republican, called for a public hearing on the potential taxpayer exposure if a judge grants <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4690169\/paramount-bond-financial-losses-warner-bros-merger\/\">Paramount\u2019s request<\/a> that the plaintiff states post a $1.88 billion bond.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Petersen, who is running to replace Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, said Mayes should explain whether state money could be at risk and whether legislative approval would be required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iowa, Montana seek Supreme Court review of Paramount merger blockage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4389,"featured_media":2649989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/paramount-warner-merger-delay.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5509,5626,8605,60029,32275],"class_list":["post-2649988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-antitrust","tag-iowa","tag-montana","tag-paramount-merger","tag-supreme-court"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/paramount-warner-merger-delay.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4389"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2649988"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2649992,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649988\/revisions\/2649992"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2649989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2649988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2649988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2649988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}