A federal judge on Tuesday permanently blocked the Trump administration from implementing a presidential directive aimed at ending federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, ruling the order violated the First Amendment.
U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington said President Donald Trump’s executive order directing federal agencies to cut off funding to NPR and PBS is unlawful and unenforceable. In a sharply worded ruling, Moss said the First Amendment “does not tolerate viewpoint discrimination and retaliation of this type.”
“It is difficult to conceive of clearer evidence that a government action is targeted at viewpoints that the President does not like and seeks to squelch,” Moss wrote in the decision. Moss was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama.
The ruling means viewers and listeners will continue to have access to federally supported public radio and television programming, including local news, educational shows and nationally distributed content, without disruption caused by an abrupt cutoff in government funding.
By blocking the executive order, the court preserved grants and other federal support that help sustain public media stations across the country, particularly smaller and rural outlets that rely more heavily on public dollars. The decision also reinforces protections against political interference in broadcast content.
Ruling Cites Viewpoint Discrimination
Moss said the order explicitly instructs federal agencies to “cut off any and all funding” for NPR, which is based in Washington, and PBS, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. He added that the federal government failed to provide any legal precedent supporting such an action.
“The Federal Defendants fail to cite a single case in which a court has ever upheld a statute or executive action that bars a particular person or entity from participating in any federally funded activity based on that person or entity’s past speech,” Moss wrote.
Trump Criticism of Public Media Cited
The ruling referenced Trump’s previous public comments criticizing NPR and PBS. At a news conference last year, Trump said he would “love to” defund the public broadcasters, asserting they are biased in favor of Democrats.
NPR argued in court filings that the administration’s actions were an attempt to punish the outlet for the content of its journalism. NPR accused the Corporation for Public Broadcasting of violating its First Amendment rights when it moved to cut off access to grant money appropriated by Congress.
Legal Challenge and CPB Background
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes federal funds to public media outlets, announced last August that it would move toward shutting down after being defunded by Congress.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Theodore Boutrous said Tuesday’s ruling represented a significant legal victory.
Reaction From Plaintiffs
“This is a victory for the First Amendment and for freedom of the press,” Boutrous said in a statement. “As the Court expressly recognized, the First Amendment draws a line, which the government may not cross, at efforts to use government power — including the power of the purse — to punish or suppress disfavored expression.”
He said Trump’s executive order crossed that constitutional line.
This is a breaking news article. Updates to follow.
Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this article.
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