No Presumption of Regularity

The judge who blocked Nexstar/Tegna noted the "unusual circumstances" by which federal regulators approved the deal. pic.twitter.com/j7meccTttv

— Ben Remaly (@BenRemaly) April 22, 2026

Calling Bullsh%$

For those unfamiliar with the term the, "Presumption of Regularity," is the assumption that the government is telling the truth to the court.

The judge's ruling enjoining the Nextar/Tegna merger is basically calling the DoJ, the FCC, etc. 6 pounds of sh%$ in a 5 pound bag.

This is remarkable for a judge to do, even though we have irrefutable evidence in United States v. Reynolds that the government lied to the court when claiming state secrets privilege.

A federal judge just put a halt to Nexstar’s proposed $6.2 billion merger with Tegna, putting in doubt the combination of the companies to create a broadcast station giant – at least for now.

With just a few hours to go on the current TRO, U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley on Friday issued a preliminary injunction, concluding that the transaction would diminish competition in violation of antitrust laws. The matter now enters a state of corporate stasis while the antitrust issues and trial play out.

………

The decision is a defeat not just for the companies but also a black eye for the Trump administration’s FCC, which gave a relatively speedy greenlight to the transaction.

In fact, in many ways, the deal was a linchpin of FCC chairman Brendan Carr‘s goal of boosting the leverage of local TV stations against the power of national networks. In hydra-like fashion, Carr’s agenda saw Jimmy Kimmel pulled into political and cultural quicksand last year as Nexstar pulled the ABC late-night host off its stations for more than a week.

Trump endorsed this merger and explicitly stated that it would create a MAGAt super network.

The judge has acknowledged this reality.