California Attorney General Rob Bonta obtained a temporary restraining order in the lawsuit against the Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery merger.
Posted by On with Kara Swisher, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
On with Kara SwisherAug 10, 2026
The sources confirm that U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted a temporary restraining order halting the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger in the 12-state antitrust lawsuit led by Bonta. The order was granted on the states' request, so the claim's phrasing that Bonta obtained it is a fair, slightly compressed description.
What was said
… Um, and no, he just you know, people no, I'll be i've been following this rather closely. He actually he they bring it up to him, and that's a different thing. I think now the judge seems to be agreeing with Rob Bonta because he's won pretty he got the TRO. He was gonna get the preliminary injunction, and now the trial's not till March. Uh, so someone agrees with him, the judge? Yeah, look, I mean, it's a, it's a process, and so do many in Hollywood, the Writers Guild, the Screen Actors Guild, um, and a lot of, and a lot of theater owners too. …
On with Kara Swisher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The Attorney General's own press release states the court granted the states' request for a temporary restraining order halting the merger, and that Bonta led the coalition of 12 attorneys general.[2]
Supports. AP reports that Judge Martínez-Olguín granted a temporary restraining order freezing the transaction in the challenge brought by 12 states.[1]
Supports. CNN and CNBC both report the TRO was issued on July 20, 2026, in the state-led lawsuit with California AG Rob Bonta as lead.[3][4]
Context. The request was granted on behalf of the states rather than Bonta alone, so 'obtained' describes the coalition's result he led; the source record does not contradict that reading.[1][2]
Sources
4 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 primary, 2 not rated
- 1Paramount delays closing Warner buyout while judge considers states' challengeapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2Quiet on the Set! Attorney General Bonta Secures Critical, Early Win in Lawsuit to Block Warner Bros./Paramount Mergeroag.ca.gov · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 3Paramount–WBD merger on pause as judge issues temporary restraining orderus.cnn.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4Paramount and Warner Bros. merger hit with temporary ...cnbc.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- California is leading a lawsuit to block the merger between Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery.True
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta walked away from a meeting regarding the Paramount merger last week.True
- Rob Bonta took legal action to block a merger in Hollywood involving Netflix.Mixed
- The trial regarding the Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery merger is scheduled for March.True
- California Attorney General Babathi Banta is prohibited by a court order from cross-checking state voter rolls against federal databases to demand the removal of ineligible voters.Can’t tell