Elena Kagan rejects petition to block $30 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. merger

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan denied a last‑minute petition to block the Paramount‑Warner Bros. Discovery merger, clearing the way for the deal to close on Tuesday. The denial was entered into the docket without comment, ending the petitioners’ bid for an emergency stay.

The merger, first announced in July 2023, would combine Paramount Global’s film studio, TV network and streaming assets with Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO, Warner Bros. film library and Discovery+ platform. Valued at about $30 billion, it is the largest media consolidation in a decade and is meant to create a company that can compete with Disney and Netflix. Regulators have been reviewing the transaction for antitrust concerns, and a group of shareholders sued, arguing the price undervalues Paramount.

The petitioners – Pamela Faust, Len Marazzo, Lisa McCarthy and Deborah … – asked the Supreme Court to pause the merger while their lawsuit proceeds