Iowa and Montana Ask Supreme Court to Block 'Politicized' Paramount-Warner Bros. Antitrust Suit Filed by California and 11 States

Key Points:

• Iowa and Montana Attorneys General have filed a motion with the Supreme Court seeking to dismiss a 12-state Democratic-led antitrust lawsuit blocking Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, arguing the Supreme Court is the only proper venue for this interstate dispute.
• Legal experts widely view Iowa and Montana’s appeal as unlikely to succeed, describing it as political grandstanding and noting the Supreme Court rarely intervenes in antitrust enforcement disputes between states.
• The 12-state lawsuit alleges the merger would reduce competition in theatrical films, blockbuster films, and basic cable TV, with trial set for March 2027; Paramount has paused the merger and faces a $7 million daily fee if the deal is delayed.
• Iowa and Montana argue the merger benefits their economies, criticize the Democratic AGs for politicizing antitrust enforcement, and claim the delay harms their states’ economies and consumers by depriving them of merger benefits.
• The Supreme Court’s decision on whether to hear the case will test its authority over interstate disputes, but the court is not typically a venue for antitrust enforcement conflicts, and the majority of states and federal regulators have approved the merger.