ICYMI: Judge Directs Paramount, State AGs to Respond to Booker Letter Challenging Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger Settlement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Cory Booker, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, is drawing attention following Thursday’s hearing on the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger for sending a letter to District Judge Araceli Martinez- Olguin urging an independent public-interest review of the settlement, resulting in her specifically “questioning attorneys Thursday about concerns raised by Sen. Booker.” In his letter, Booker urged the court to conduct an independent public-interest review of the agreement. “The proposed settlement has reached the Court without a competitive impact statement, without a public comment period, and without any formal opportunity for theaters, distributors, workers, or consumers to be heard,” Booker wrote in his letter . “The Court should not approve this agreement without first ensuring that the public interest has been adequately considered.” SEE FOR YOURSELF: Variety Judge Questions Legal Points of Paramount’s Settlement With States at Hearing, Says a Ruling Will Come in ‘Due Course’ — Judge Martínez-Olguín requests parties submit replies to Sen. Booker's request for an independent public-interest review By Todd Spangler September 24, 2026 Booker sent a letter Thursday urging the court to subject the settlement to an independent public-interest review before approving it, noting it reached the court without a competitive impact statement, public comment period, or chance for theaters, distributors, workers, or consumers to weigh in. Paramount Skydance filed a brief opposing what it called Booker's improper "pseudo-amicus submission." Judge Martínez-Olguín opened by saying the court "isn't a rubber stamp" of the agreement and that she wanted to confirm the deal resulted from an arm's-length process rather than collusion. California senior assistant AG Paula Blizzard and a Paramount attorney both affirmed it was an arm's-length process. Asked how the deal addresses competition concerns, Blizzard said the states worried that blocking the merger outright would just send Warner Bros. Discovery looking for another buyer. Forbes Paramount Merger Settlement Won’t Be Resolved Until At Least Next Week As Judge Questions Agreement By Alison Durkee September 24, 2026 Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin held a hearing Thursday after the states and Paramount announced Monday they’d reached a settlement in the states’ antitrust lawsuit—paving the way for the merger to go through—which the judge scheduled to “address certain outstanding questions regarding the factual and legal underpinnings of” the agreement, “as well as [its] implementation.” The fate of Paramount Skydance’s controversial merger with Warner Bros. Discovery won’t be decided until at least next week as a federal judge put off ruling on whether to approve Paramount’s settlement with states challenging the merger, posing questions about the agreement at a hearing Thursday and suggesting she had concerns with some of its provisions. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., also filed a request Thursday for the judge to have the settlement undergo an independent review before she rules on whether or not to approve it. Martinez-Olguin asked the parties to respond to Booker’s letter and any of the outside briefs by noon PDT on Monday, meaning any ruling on the agreement’s fate would not come until after that deadline. @Daniel Miller, POLITICO Reporter Here’s the judge’s “homework” for the parties in the Paramount-WBD case: She asked them to address, by noon Monday, the letter the court received from Sen. Cory Booker. Read the senator’s letter in full below By Daniel Miller September 25, 2026 In a letter filed w/ the court, Sen. Cory Booker urged the judge handling the Paramount-WBD antitrust litigation to independently review the proposed settlement before approving it, questioning whether its temporary commitments would adequately restore competition. Los Angeles Times Judge holds off on ruling in states’ antitrust settlement with Paramount By Samantha Masunaga and Cerys Davies September 25, 2026 A federal judge declined Thursday to rule immediately on the settlement between Paramount Skydance and 12 state attorneys general, leaving the last major hurdle to the $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition unresolved for now. Judge Martínez-Olguín gave no indication of how she'd rule but said she wanted more information before deciding whether to approve the consent decree. Los Angeles Magazine Judge’s Questions Put Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal in New Uncertainty By Camryn Rael September 25, 2026 The proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance has stirred debate over the future of Hollywood and the growing consolidation of the entertainment industry. That debate moved back into the courtroom Thursday, when U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín questioned a proposed settlement between Paramount and the 12 state attorneys general who sued to block the acquisition. The settlement would resolve the states’ antitrust challenge under a series of conditions, but it still requires the judge’s approval before the merger can move forward. The judge’s request came as Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., urged the court to subject the proposed settlement to an independent public-interest review before approving it. Booker, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, has argued the agreement does not adequately address the competitive concerns raised by the merger. “This merger is illegal,” Booker said in a statement this week. “It shrinks two of Hollywood’s major studios from five to four and combines two of the largest basic cable owners — putting nearly a third of the theatrical film market and nearly a third of basic cable programming under one roof.” The.Desk.net Judge hits pause on settlement between states, Paramount over Warner Bros acquisition By Matthew Keys September 24, 2026 A federal judge in California paused the pending settlement, questioning attorneys Thursday about concerns raised by Sen. Booker. Martínez-Olguín asked the parties to respond by noon Monday local time (3 p.m. Eastern) to Booker's letter, which argued the settlement lacked a competitive impact statement, public comment period, or opportunity for stakeholders to be heard. Paramount opposed the filing, calling it an improper submission made after the settlement was already reached. POLITICO NOT A DONE DEAL By Daniel Miller and Hassan Kanu September 25, 2026 The judge overseeing the 12 states' case against Paramount's Warner Bros. acquisition questioned the parties for 50 minutes Thursday but stopped short of approving the settlement. Martínez-Olguín said she wasn't a "rubber stamp" and that a ruling would come in due course. She opened with detailed questions and closed by giving both sides a "homework" assignment: respond by noon Monday to Booker's letter questioning whether the settlement's temporary commitments would adequately restore competition. The five-year settlement would require Paramount to release at least 30 theatrical films annually for two years, then 32 a year for three more, and would create an editorial-independence board for CNN and CBS News — but calls for no upfront divestitures or structural remedies. SEE ALSO: Booker Introduces Legislation to Review and Unwind Anticompetitive Corporate Mergers Approved Under Second Trump Administration Booker Demands Answers on Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest in $111 Billion Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount Skydance Merger Booker Statement on Paramount - Skydance/ Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Shareholder Vote ICYMI: Booker Holds Forum on Risks of Paramount–Skydance / Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Ahead of Shareholder Vote NEW VIDEO: Ahead of Paramount Shareholder Vote, Booker Releases Documentary Exposing Consequences of Proposed Paramount–Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Booker Holds Forum on Risks of Paramount–Skydance / Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Ahead of Shareholder Vote Booker, Schumer, Durbin, Blumenthal, Hirono, Whitehouse, Warren Challenge FCC to Conduct Full Review of Foreign Investment Concerns in Paramount & Warner Bros. Merger Booker Statement: “The proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery is far from settled.” Booker, Schumer, Durbin, Klobuchar, Warren, Blumenthal, Hirono, Welch Demand Paramount CEO & Chairman David Ellison Preserve All Records Related to Proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Transaction Booker, Durbin Demand Answers on Trump Administration's Removal of DOJ Antitrust Chief Gail Slater