California and seven other states filed an emergency motion on Friday to stop the merger of broadcasting companies Nexstar and Tegna, a corporate tie-up that would create the country’s largest operator of local television stations.
The eight attorneys general filed the motion for a temporary restraining order less than a day after the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice signed off on the $6.2 billion deal.
Nexstar and Tegna did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The states — California, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, New York, North Carolina, Connecticut and Virginia — argued in a lawsuit filed Wednesday night that the merger violates federal antitrust laws and warned of price hikes for consumers.
“With its approval of the disastrous Nexstar/Tegna broadcasting merger, the Trump Administration has once again put corporate interests ahead of the interests of everyday Americans — not on our watch,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.
“This
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