Michigan Citizens for an Independent Press v. Attorney General of the United States
District Court, District of Columbia · 1988-09-14 · cited 3×
This case challenged former Attorney General Edwin Meese III's approval of a joint operating agreement between the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News under the Newspaper Preservation Act, granting the papers a limited antitrust exemption on the ground that one was a failing newspaper in probable danger of financial failure. Plaintiffs, a group of individuals, advertisers, and employees, sued to block the JOA, arguing the decision was arbitrary and capricious and that the papers had engaged in strategic conduct to qualify for the exemption. The district court granted summary judgment to the defendants after reviewing the administrative record, holding that the Attorney General reasonably accepted the ALJ's fact findings while differing on ultimate inferences, applied the correct statutory standard, and was not shown to have been influenced by improper ex parte contacts. The court therefore allowed the temporary stay to expire, permitting the JOA to take effect.
