RALEIGH, N.C. (WHKY) – A ruling has been made in a federal case that affects North Carolina. According to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Justice, a federal judge says Nexstar violated a court order requiring it to keep its proposed merger with Tegna frozen. The ruling comes in North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson’s antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Nexstar’s $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna.

Jackson says Nexstar violated the order by placing several of its top executives—including its CEO, president, CFO and general counsel—on Tegna’s board. Judge Troy Nunley rejected Nexstar’s argument that the appointments did not violate the merger freeze, writing that it was “shocking” to suggest a board made up primarily of Nexstar executives would not influence Tegna management.

The judge is now ordering Nexstar to remove its executives from Tegna’s board and appointing a special master or magistrate judge to monitor compliance.The case is especially significant in North Carolina, where Nexstar and Tegna have overlapping stations in Charlotte, the Triad and the Norfolk-Newport News market, serving more than two million TV households.

The antitrust trial is scheduled for July 6th, 2027.