Supreme Court Blocks FCC Order on Political Ad Rates

The Supreme Court of the United States issued an emergency order on Wednesday siding with the Trump administration in a dispute over political television advertising rates. The ruling overturned a lower appeals court decision that had required the Federal Communications Commission to finalize rules determining who is entitled to low ad rates.

The majority ruled that federal law does not require the commission to act within a specific timeframe and stated that the judiciary cannot interfere in the workings of another branch of government. This decision enables political parties and joint fund-raising committees to access the same low rates as individual candidates, a shift that benefits Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.

Democratic candidates argued that the FCC was deliberately stalling the process to avoid legal challenges. Solicitor General D. John Sauer had previously characterized the lower-court ruling as an abuse of power. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the order.