Washington AG Sues to Block Paramount Merger Trump DOJ Approved in 2026
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 22
Washington AG Sues to Block Paramount Merger Trump DOJ Approved in 2026
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 22
Summary
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said he is suing to stop Paramount’s merger, arguing the tie-up would create an anticompetitive media conglomerate despite federal approval.
Brown framed the case as a state-level challenge to the Trump Justice Department’s decision, saying state attorneys general must act if Washington will not block the deal.
The complaint argues a larger Paramount would benefit executives rather than consumers, while reducing competition that Brown says helps lower prices and expand opportunities for workers.
The move casts states as a backstop in U.S. antitrust enforcement, reviving a trustbusting argument Brown linked to Theodore Roosevelt’s campaign against early-20th-century monopolies.