Judge Nunley grants DirecTV preliminary injunction blocking $6.2B Nexstar-TEGNA merger after DOJ and FCC cleared the deal

Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley of the Eastern District of California issued a preliminary injunction on April 17, 2026, ordering Nexstar to halt integration of TEGNA as a separate business unit pending trial. The ruling came despite DOJ and FCC both clearing the transaction on March 19, 2026 — the injunction arose from a private antitrust suit by DirecTV and a parallel action by eight state attorneys general. Nunley found plaintiffs demonstrated a prima facie anticompetitive effect under Clayton Act Section 7, citing local advertising market overlap in Sacramento, Indianapolis, and at least six other cities.