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Monday, October 12, 2026

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Supreme Court · Monday, October 12, 2026

Government and Republican committees reply in Supreme Court fight over political-ad discounts; pause still in place

The File desk · Oct 12, 2026, 10:59 AM UTC

Status

Confirmed. Replies dated Oct. 11, 2026, are on the dockets for No. 26A476 and No. 26A477. As of Monday morning, no ruling was on either docket.

  • Confirmed

    The Federal Communications Commission replied in No. 26A476. The National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee replied in No. 26A477.

  • Confirmed

    Chief Justice John Roberts’s Oct. 8 pause remains. The dockets show no order after the Sunday replies.

The Federal Communications Commission and two Republican party committees filed reply briefs on Sunday in their effort to keep a pause on a federal appeals court order. That order would force the commission to decide, within a short window, whether party committees may buy TV and radio ads at the cheap rate the law guarantees candidates. Four Democratic candidates — Sherrod Brown, Jon Ossoff, Roy Cooper, and Kristen McDonald Rivet — had answered on Saturday asking that the pause be lifted. Chief Justice John Roberts imposed the pause on Oct. 8. As of Monday morning the justices had not ruled. The applications are No. 26A476 and No. 26A477.

No. 26A476 is the commission’s case, FCC v. Brown. The docket lists an Oct. 11 filing, “Reply of Federal Communication Commission in support of application submitted.” The reply, from the solicitor general, says the candidates would shrink the commission’s review to an order that says “Denied,” so the Fourth Circuit can define the

in . It says a for a delay this short is not a step the government can find in another case. It says stepping in weeks before the election would unsettle the ad rates parties and candidates are counting on. The reply asks the Court to grant the stay: “This Court should reject the challengers’ invitation to cause electoral chaos and should grant the application for a stay.” Those sentences are the government’s argument.

No. 26A477 is the committees’ case. The reply, dated Oct. 11, names the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee as the applicants, against Sherrod Brown, Jon Ossoff, Roy Cooper, and Kristen McDonald Rivet. The caption spells the name Jon Ossoff. The docket lists the reply the same day.

Saturday’s story covered the candidates’ filing. They also cite

, the part of the that says the full commission must rule on every request to review a decision by its staff. Friday’s story covered Roberts’s pause. His Oct. 8 order still stays the Fourth Circuit’s Oct. 7 judgement, a . The dockets, read Monday morning, show the Oct. 11 replies and no later order. This story does not say who will win, or whether Roberts will act alone. The Court marks Monday as a legal holiday.

What is still unknown or disputed

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    Docket, No. 26A476

    Supreme Court of the United States · October 11, 2026

    Oct 11 2026 Reply of Federal Communication Commission in support of application submitted.

    https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/26a476.html

  2. Source 2

    Docket, No. 26A477

    Supreme Court of the United States · October 11, 2026

    Oct 11 2026 Reply of National Republican Congressional Committee, et al. in support of application submitted.

    https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/26a477.html

  3. Source 3

    Reply in Support of Application for Stay, No. 26A476

    Solicitor General · October 11, 2026

    This Court should reject the challengers' invitation to cause electoral chaos and should grant the application for a stay.

    https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/26/26A476/429208/20261011093121026_26A476%20FCC%20v%20Brown%20Reply.pdf

  4. Source 4

    Reply in Support of Emergency Application for Stay, No. 26A477

    Counsel for the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee · October 11, 2026

    NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE AND NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE, APPLICANTS, v. SHERROD BROWN, JON OSSOFF, ROY COOPER, AND KRISTEN MCDONALD RIVET, RESPONDENTS.

    https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/26/26A477/429209/20261011135518365_26A477%20Emergency%20Stay%20Reply.pdf

  5. Source 5

    Candidates ask the Supreme Court to lift the pause in the political-ad discount fight

    The File · October 11, 2026

    Four Democratic candidates asked the Supreme Court on Saturday to let a federal appeals court's order stand.

    /story/scotus-fcc-brown-candidates-response-oct10

  6. Source 6

    Roberts pauses an order forcing the FCC to rule on political-ad discounts

    The File · October 9, 2026

    Roberts's order, in FCC v. Sherrod Brown, No. 26A476, says the Oct. 7, 2026, judgement of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, case No. 26-2230, is stayed pending further order of the Chief Justice or of the Court.

    /story/scotus-fcc-brown-political-ad-rates-stay-oct8