Trump pulls SCOTUS back into war over TV ad rates for midterms

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to issue another emergency order keeping discounted broadcast ad rates available to the National Republican Congressional and Senatorial Committees, after the Fourth Circuit ordered the FCC to rule on a Democratic challenge by noon Friday. Solicitor General John Sauer called the Fourth Circuit's order a 'flagrant abuse' of authority and an 'egregious intrusion' into the electoral process.

The dispute traces to a March FCC media bureau notice extending candidate-only discount ad rates to party and joint fundraising committees, a change that tends to favor Republicans, whose party committees outraise individual candidates, over Democrats, whose candidates typically raise more. Democratic Senate candidates including Jon Ossoff, Sherrod Brown and Roy Cooper challenged the notice, and the Fourth Circuit struck it down, finding the discount is for candidates only.

Last month the Supreme Court paused that ruling, finding Republicans would likely suffer irreparable harm as broadcasters rescinded favorable rates. Now, with the FCC still sitting on the underlying petition, the administration wants the justices to bar the Fourth Circuit from forcing any agency decision, or blocking the bureau's notice, until after this year's elections.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.