A U.S. federal judge has permanently halted the Trump administration’s attempt to terminate federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) citing the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that President Donald Trump’s executive order to cut off funding for NPR and PBS is illegal and cannot be enforced. The judge emphasized that the First Amendment protects free speech and does not allow discrimination or retaliation based on viewpoints.
The ruling comes after Trump expressed his desire to defund NPR and PBS due to perceived bias towards Democrats. NPR accused the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) of violating its free speech rights by cutting off grant money. NPR’s president, Katherine Maher, emphasized that public media serves the public interest and should not be influenced by political agendas.
PBS chief Paula Kerger welcomed the decision, stating that the executive order constitutes unconstitutional discrimination. Last year, CPB announced plans to shut down after losing funding from Congress. Plaintiffs’ attorney Theodore Boutrous praised the ruling as a victory for the First Amendment and freedom of the press, highlighting the government’s overreach in attempting to suppress certain expressions.
The judge acknowledged that some legal claims are moot since CPB no longer exists but noted that the executive order’s impact extends beyond CPB to all federal agencies funding NPR and PBS. NPR, along with three public radio stations, filed a lawsuit against administration officials last year, leading to the court ruling. The Trump administration’s actions resulted in significant funding cuts to PBS and NPR, impacting their programming and staff.
