Justice Kagan Denies Bid to Halt Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger
The denial was entered into the docket without comment, clearing the way for the deal to close on Tuesday.
Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan denied a last-minute petition seeking to halt Paramount's merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the way for the deal to close on Tuesday. The denial was entered into the docket without comment.
The petitioners argued the merger remained anticompetitive despite conditions in the settlement of a state attorneys general lawsuit. Their earlier efforts to stop the merger were rejected by the district court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In a ruling last week, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin cited the plaintiffs' repeated failures to advance evidence and concerns over their standing. A federal appellate court denied their petition on Friday.
The plaintiffs' lawsuit was originally filed last spring, before state attorneys general sued to block the deal. In October 2025, the plaintiffs sought a temporary restraining order to block the merger.
The settlement of the state attorneys general lawsuit includes a consent decree with a schedule of more than 30 theatrical releases per year and separate negotiations for Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery cable channels.
Quick answers
When is the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger scheduled to close?
The merger is scheduled to close on Tuesday.
Why did the petitioners try to halt the merger?
The petitioners argued the merger remained anticompetitive despite conditions in the settlement of a state attorneys general lawsuit.