Supreme Court Gives States Two Weeks to Respond to Challenge Over Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger

The Supreme Court issued an order on Wednesday requiring California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other state attorneys general to submit responses by September 25, 2026, to a motion filed by Iowa and Montana seeking to challenge the proposed Paramount-Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The order grants the red-state plaintiffs an expedited timeline to file a bill of complaint, though the Court has not yet decided whether to hear the merits of their request. The deadline follows a scheduled hearing in Oakland where the coalition of blue-state attorneys general will argue against Paramount’s request for a $1.88 billion bond.

"The motion is a straightforward antitrust enforcement case," California AG Rob Bonta said in an August 10 column, describing the states’ lawsuit as a clear competition issue.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird criticized the blue-state coalition, saying they were more hostile to the merger than foreign regulators. Neither the Iowa nor California offices, nor Paramount representatives, responded to requests for comment on the Supreme Court order.

The timing of the deadline coincides with a daily fee that could accrue to Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders if the merger is delayed, potentially adding significant financial pressure on the parties involved.