Supreme Court·Emergency docket

Supreme Court temporarily blocks a 4th Circuit order forcing the FCC to rule by Friday on campaign ad rates

Published 6:37 PM CT, Thursday, October 8, 2026
In the 5 PM CT update

The Supreme Court on Thursday paused, for now, a 2-1 order by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that gave the Federal Communications Commission until noon Friday to decide Democratic candidates’ challenge to its policy extending the lowest broadcast ad rates to party ads coordinated with candidates, USA Today reported. Solicitor General D. John Sauer called the appeals court’s order “a flagrant abuse” of the writ of mandamus in the government’s application, and Chief Justice John Roberts issued an administrative stay and asked the challengers to respond by Saturday, Oct. 10, Law&Crime and USA Today reported. In September the Court had also sided with the administration in the same dispute.

• Supreme Court
• FCC v. Brown
• Federal Communications Commission
• Emergency docket
• Administrative stay
• John Roberts
• D. John Sauer
• Fourth Circuit
• Campaign ads
• Midterm elections
• Jon Ossoff
• United States